Sen. Hirono: “I want to particularly emphasize how important these negotiations are and how they are conducted because the military, of late, has been criticized for what happened at Red Hill… So it is really critical that you engage with the community.”
~ Video of Sen. Hirono’s question line can be found here ~
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, pressed Daniel Driscoll, President Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of the Army, during his confirmation hearing on his approach to renewing land leases in Hawaii for military training areas; how he will address the backlog of maintenance and modernization projects for Army infrastructure in Hawaii; as well as the impact that President Trump’s mass deportation agenda will have on the Army’s readiness. If confirmed as Secretary of the Army, Mr. Driscoll would be the senior civilian official and head of the Department of the Army, responsible for handling all administrative matters relating to the Army and overseeing more than 1 million personnel.
At the beginning of her line of questioning, Senator Hirono pressed Mr. Driscoll on his approach to the renewal of land leases in Hawaii for military training areas. Senator Hirono emphasized that while these leases are vital to military training and readiness, this land—such as Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawaii Island—is culturally significant to the Native Hawaiian community and requires fair negotiations with the military, the state of Hawaii, and the community.
“I want to particularly emphasize how important these negotiations are and how they are conducted because the military, of late, has been criticized for what happened at Red Hill—basically involving the Navy, but as far as the community is concerned, what happens to one service is something that impacts all of the other services,” said Senator Hirono. “So it is really critical that you engage with the community.”
Senator Hirono also asked Mr. Driscoll about the Army’s backlog of maintenance and modernization for its facilities in Hawaii and how he plans to address the Army’s infrastructure needs in the state and throughout the greater Indo-Pacific. Mr. Driscoll acknowledged that maintenance issues exist, but failed to cite any specific plans for addressing those backlogs.
“The Army has a deep backlog of maintenance and modernization for its facilities and sadly, for example, in Hawaii, 50 percent of Army facilities are classified as failing or failed and the cost to repair or replace them is over $5 billion—this is just involving Hawaii,” said Senator Hirono. “We need to have a functioning infrastructure, critical to military readiness.”
Senator Hirono then pressed Mr. Driscoll on the consequences that President Trump’s mass deportation agenda will have on military readiness. Thousands of troops have already been deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border and Trump has indicated that he plans to send more.
The full transcript of Senator Hirono’s exchange with Mr. Driscoll is available below. Video of Senator Hirono’s question line can be found here.
Sen. Hirono: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I did want to take a moment to extend my condolences to all those affected by the tragic accident last night near Reagan National Airport and the brave Army soldiers onboard the helicopter.
Mr. Driscoll, I ask the following two initial questions of all nominees who come before any of the committees on which I sit, to ensure the fitness of the nominees. Since you became a legal adult, have you ever made unwanted requests for sexual favors or committed any verbal or physical harassment or assault of a sexual nature?
Mr. Driscoll: Never.
Sen. Hirono: Have you ever faced discipline or entered into a settlement relating to this kind of conduct?
Mr. Driscoll: Never.
Sen. Hirono: Mr. Driscoll, several of the critical training areas that the Army uses in Hawaii are leased from the state, including Pohakuloa, and the leases are set to expire in 2029. These leases are vital to ensuring military forces can adequately train in the Pacific. However, the land involved also holds cultural significance to the Native Hawaiian community. How do you plan to approach these important lease renegotiations and will you commit to engaging in good faith with state officials and the community to ensure that the leases are negotiated in a way that is fair to the state, the people of Hawaii, and the military?
Mr. Driscoll: Senator, this is an incredibly important issue, not just in Hawaii, but in all the places we engage with the community and sign leases. I would absolutely commit to wanting to work with your office and then to engage with community members to ensure the Army is being its best neighbor that it can be. Earlier in the hearing, I was referencing with your colleague that—Senator Warren and I were chatting about this, both kind of abroad, how the Army exists in its footprint, but then specifically, domestically, how the Army and its soldiers and the civilians that work on the bases engage with the community and the youth in that community is directly correlated to who gets a taste of what the Army has to offer, and who gets to see what a life in the Army can do for them. And so, I think it is both the right thing to do and the selfish thing to do to be the best—
Sen. Hirono: Mr. Driscoll—
Mr. Driscoll: —community members we can be.
Sen. Hirono: I want to particularly emphasize how important these negotiations are and how they are conducted because the military, of late, has been criticized for what happened at Red Hill—basically involving the Navy, but as far as the community is concerned, what happens to one service is something that impacts all of the other services. So it is really critical that you engage with the community.
So, going to modernizing DOD infrastructure—it’s one of my top priorities. And the Army has a deep backlog of maintenance and modernization for its facilities. And sadly, for example, in Hawaii, 50% of Army facilities are classified as failing or failed and the cost to repair or replace them is over $5 billion—this is just involving Hawaii. So, we need to have a functioning infrastructure, critical to military readiness. How are you planning to address the Army’s infrastructure issue in Hawaii and in the greater Indo-Pacific?
Mr. Driscoll: Senator, I’ve had many friends stationed in Hawaii. And though the experience has been good, I think that they may echo that some of the maintenance issues exist. We owe a duty to our soldiers and their families. It is—my daughter, my six-year-old Lila is named after my E-6’s daughter Lila—she lives on military—
Sen. Hirono: So Mr. Driscoll, you know, my time is running out and so what I am getting from you is that there is a commitment to deal with the lagging infrastructure throughout the military and the Army. So, I will certainly be holding you to that, should you be confirmed. Let me get to mass deportations.
President Trump has already ordered thousands of additional Army soldiers to the southern border. Experts have said, deporting over 11 million people—these are the people who are undocumented—would require tens of thousands of personnel, hundreds of billions of dollars, and years to complete. The Army is the primary military service who would be called upon to support a mass deportation order. What impact would deploying tens of thousands of troops have on Army readiness?
Mr. Driscoll: Senator, my understanding from the outside is that the Army stands by and stands ready to support the president’s mission to defend the border—
Sen. Hirono: Well, if you have to deploy 10,000 people or more from the Army to do that, I would say that it is going to impact Army readiness for the other purposes for which the Army is stood up. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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