Choppers, cannons
may delay EIS
The Army does not know if the addition of Comanche helicopters and 155 mm howitzers to the Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Schofield Barracks will delay the release of a report assessing the brigade's impact on the environment.
The Pentagon officially announced yesterday that Stryker combat teams will be stationed in Hawaii and Pennsylvania. The Schofield brigade is expected to be operational by 2006, according to the Pentagon.
However, the announcement did not say anything about the addition of the helicopters or artillery.
Earlier this week, both U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie and the Inside the Army newsletter said the new brigade, built around 300 19-ton, eight-wheeled Stryker combat vehicles, would receive the Army's latest helicopter -- the Comanche, which is supposed to replace the OH-58 Kiowa Warriors. The brigade would also add 155 mm howitzers, which are normally assigned to larger units. A brigade generally is equipped with smaller 105 mm howitzers.
Maj. Stacy Bathrick, Army spokeswoman, said last night that 25th Infantry Division officials are trying to sort out those details and that they would be included in the Army's environmental impact statement.
Several environmental groups have protested the Army's plan to base a Stryker brigade here, arguing that the teams are incompatible with the islands' limited land area, sensitive environment and concentration of cultural sites.
The environmental report is scheduled to be completed next summer.
Bathrick did not know if the "enhancements" reported by Abercrombie would affect the final release.
The deadline for the public to comment on the report was extended to Jan. 3 when activist group EarthJustice and others complained an initial period was too short.
The Pentagon approval means the Army can begin to spend money for the new brigades' acquisition and fielding. The 2nd Brigade at Schofield will begin its transformation when it returns from Iraq in 2005.