Army insists
Makua is crucialMilitary officials say the Leeward
valley offers the only locale for
necessary live-fire exercises
A federal judge's decision to halt military live-fire training in Oahu's Makua Valley will deny troops crucial preparation for combat, an Army spokesman said yesterday.
U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway issued a temporary restraining order late Friday, stopping the Marine Corps from conducting live-fire training at the Army's Makua Military Reservation next week.
"Realistic training at home effectively prepares our troops for the battlefield," 25th Infantry Division (Light) spokesman Troy Griffin said in a statement. "Readiness saves lives in combat and wins battles. Makua provides the only combat training area on Oahu where soldiers can conduct live-fire exercises that integrate field artillery, mortars and direct aviation support that are integral to combat operations."
Mollway's order was requested by the cultural preservation group Malama Makua and is to remain in effect until Mollway holds a hearing on the group's request for a preliminary injunction, scheduled for April 19.
Malama Makua filed suit after the Marine Corps scheduled a three-day platoon-level live-fire exercise to begin Wednesday.
The Marines planned to use mortars and shoulder-launched rockets, which the group said posed a fire threat and could harm endangered animal and plant species and cultural sites in the valley along Oahu's Waianae Coast.
The Army said it and the Marines "both have enviable records of protecting the environment" and that they have dedicated significant resources to the protection of endangered species and plants.