U.S. Military Presence in Hawai’i Faces Challenges From Skeptical Public
Key takeaways
- Military Presence in Hawai’i Faces Challenges From Skeptical Public By William Hartung,
- Navy for decades, stretching back to World War II and before.
- The Red Hill depot is just one example of the environmental and public health impact of U.S. military bases in Hawai’i.
Aerospace & Defense U.S. Military Presence in Hawai’i Faces Challenges From Skeptical Public By William Hartung,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I am a defense analyst, and cover the economics of Pentagon spending.Follow Author Jun 02, 2026, 07:26am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.DAEGU, REPUBLIC OF KOREA: Members of a Stryker Platoon from Hawaii walk on the tarmac after their arrival at Daegu Air base, south of Seoul, 18 March 2007. The Ssouth Korean-US joint drills are due to begin on March 25, with hundreds of thousands of South Korean troops and some 29,000 US soldiers based here and abroad taking part, along with a US aircraft carrier backed by cruisers and destroyers. South Korea and the United States have defended the annual exercise as being purely defensive. AFP PHOTO/KIM JAE-HWAN (Photo credit should read KIM JAE-HWAN/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesA buildup of military capabilities in the Pacific, from Guam to the entire Marianas Island chain, is a centerpiece of the Pentagon’s strategy from deterring —or in the worst case, fighting — a war with China. The extensive U.S. presence in Hawai’i is a crucial support system for that larger Pacific buildup, but that presence is facing growing opposition, for a variety of reasons, as outlined by a new task force report issued by the Institute for Policy Studies.
Hawai’i has been a key hub for the U.S. Navy for decades, stretching back to World War II and before. But the large naval deployment is just part of the picture. Hawai’i also hosts missile defense sites, a missile test range facility, numerous Army and Marine bases, three Coast Guard bases, and a large training facility. The military presence has been accompanied by serious environmental damage, most notably from the Red Hill fuel depot, which has leaked jet fuel that has impacted the water supply of over 90,000 people and caused a wide range of physical and neurological symptoms. A survey of impacted communities found that 86 percent of residents reported at least one worsening health condition since the jet fuel spill occurred in November 2021