{"id":316953,"date":"2026-06-08T12:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T11:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=316953"},"modified":"2026-06-02T07:59:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T06:59:49","slug":"the-true-cost-of-the-us-military-in-hawai%ca%bbi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2026\/06\/the-true-cost-of-the-us-military-in-hawai%ca%bbi\/","title":{"rendered":"The True Cost of the US Military in Hawai\u02bbi"},"content":{"rendered":"

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26 May 2026\u00a0–\u00a0A comprehensive analysis of the economic, environmental, strategic, and social impacts of the U.S. military presence in Hawai\u02bbi.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hawai\u02bbi is central to the Trump administration\u2019s planned military buildup against China. That buildup is now unfolding alongside a proposed $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget \u2014 even as costs of living rise and safety net programs face deep cuts. The collision of those pressures is bringing new scrutiny to what the military presence in Hawai\u02bbi actually costs, and who bears that burden.<\/p>\n

The large military footprint in Hawai\u02bbi has often been touted by supporters as a boon for the islands\u2019 security, job market, and economy. This new report \u2014 produced by the Institute for Policy Studies, alongside \u02bb\u0100ina Aloha Economic Futures, The Costs of War Project, \u02bb\u012alio\u02bbulaokalani Coalition, Sierra Club of Hawai\u2019i, and the Transition Security Project \u2014 challenges those claims.<\/p>\n

The most comprehensive analysis of the military\u2019s impact on Hawai\u02bbi ever conducted, our multi-disciplinary report examines what that presence actually costs and offers an alternative vision for how the land can be used. The expiration of military leases on public lands around 2029 presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change course.<\/p>\n

A few key findings follow. Much more is available in the executive summary<\/a> and the full-length PDF<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Key Findings<\/h2>\n

Finding 1: The military\u2019s economic benefits are overstated.<\/h4>\n

The Pentagon and state officials claim the military contributes roughly $10 billion<\/strong> annually to\u00a0Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s economy.\u00a0 <\/strong>The real figure is $7.2 billion \u2014 <\/strong>nearly 30 percent less \u2014 representing 6.4 percent of GDP, not the purported 9.2 percent.<\/p>\n

The military is not, as often claimed, one leg of a three-legged stool supporting the islands\u2019 economy. Five industries \u2014 real estate, accommodation and food services, state and local government, retail, and health care \u2014 each represent a larger share\u00a0 of state GDP.<\/p>\n

Dollar for dollar, military spending creates approximately 5.3 jobs per $1 million invested, compared to 12.3 jobs from the same investment in health care, education, housing, food production, or energy efficiency<\/strong>. Because most service members are legal residents of other states who rotate off the islands every two to three years, a significant share of military payroll represents economic leakage.<\/p>\n

Finding 2: The true costs are hidden, uncounted, and enormous.<\/h4>\n

The military\u2019s large footprint is built primarily on Crown and Government lands acquired through the 1893 illegal overthrow and contested annexation \u2014 leased since 1964 for $1. Applying standard methodology used to value military base land worldwide, this report finds the federal government owes back rent of up to $133.7 billion in 2025 dollars, not including environmental cleanup costs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Decades of military use of PFAS (\u201cforever chemicals\u201d) have contaminated soil, groundwater, nearshore waters, fish and human blood far beyond installation boundaries. Remediation at just three installations is conservatively estimated at $493 million \u2014 yet cannot fully eliminate PFAS from Hawai\u2019i\u2019s environment<\/strong>. Indirect costs, including elevated cancer rates, drinking water filtration, and lost food production, could reach into the billions. The military has not committed to any meaningful remediation.<\/p>\n

These environmental harms fall hardest on Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and low-income residents \u2014 communities near military bases that are more likely to report poor health and less access to resources. Military demand for off-base housing also inflates housing costs: in 2024, military personnel occupied 10.3 percent of O\u2019ahu\u2019s rental units, driving up average rents by an estimated 7.1 percent and costing non-military households an additional $234.8 million \u2014 about $1,848 per household.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, premised on a forward offensive posture with capacity for deep strikes into Chinese territory, intensifies the security dilemma with China and places Hawai\u02bbi at direct risk as a military target. A strategy of deterrence and defense by denial\u2014built on resilience, defensive capabilities, and geography\u2014would lower risk and make possible a substantially smaller military footprint in Hawai\u2019i.<\/p>\n

Finding 3: There are better uses for this land.<\/h4>\n

Hundreds of former military installations around the world have successfully converted to housing, schools, hospitals, parks, farms, cultural sites, and renewable energy projects. Nearly 300 \u02bb\u0101ina<\/em>-based organizations already operate across the islands, building food systems, restoring watersheds, and creating place-based livelihoods.<\/p>\n

A future rooted in aloha \u02bb\u0101ina <\/em>\u2014 love of the land \u2014 and guided by Native Hawaiian governance offers an economic model that is place based, intergenerational, and resilient. An \u0101ina-based economic sector, adequately resourced, could rival or exceed the military\u2019s 6.4 percent contribution to Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s GDP while generating jobs insulated from the volatility of federal defense priorities and without further harming the people and environment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Download Pdf:<\/h2>\n
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Read the Executive Summary<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Read the Full Report<\/a><\/div>\n

___________________________________________<\/p>\n

Authors: Christine Ahn, Wayne Chung Tanaka, Neta C. Crawford, Kyle Kajihiro, Laurel Mei-Singh, Omar Ocampo, Jonathan Kay Kamakawiwo\u2019ole Osorio, Heidi Peltier, Davis Price, Brag Selvarajan, David Vine<\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original – ips-dc.org<\/a><\/p>\n

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PAPER OF THE WEEK STAYS POSTED FOR 2 WEEKS BEFORE BEING ARCHIVED<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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