Senator Hirono Joined with the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s Military Affairs Council and Community Groups in Army Listening Session to Keep Our Military Strong in Hawaii

Senator Hirono joined with members of Hawaii’s Congressional delegation, the Military Affairs Council and community organizations for a listening session conducted by the U.S. Army in Hawaii to solicit input from the community. The Department of Defense proposes to dramatically reduce troop levels in Hawaii by eliminating 19,800 soldier and approximately 30,000 civilian positions.

Senator Hirono strongly voiced her support for the military to maintain its current force structure in Hawaii.  From Senator Hirono’s message:

“Having Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines trained and ready here in Hawaii is vital for our nation to be prepared to face potential national security threats.

“In addition to the strategic necessity of maintaining ready forces in Hawaii, we all know that the military has a significant social economic impact to our local communities. For example, there are over 22,000 active duty Army in Hawaii, plus their families. Annual Army active duty and civilian payrolls total nearly $1.5 billion in Hawaii, yes $1.5 billion with “B.” Military activity in Hawaii is one of the two most important economic drivers in our state.

“Over the years, I’ve met with many military families in Hawaii. These families have homes, spend money in our stores, and eat in our restaurants. They are part of our local communities-in schools, organizations, churches, and more.”

On a similar topic this week during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Hirono heard testimony from military leaders including Retired US Marine Corp General James Mattis and Retired Army General John Keane who agreed  that the sequester is hurting our military and should be eliminated.

Keeping our military strong in Hawaii is vital and requires all of our full efforts working together. You can sign the Keep Hawaii’s Heroes petition here.