VIDEO: Hirono Presses U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Leadership on Enhancing Accountability and Investing in Military Infrastructure

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders on enhancing accountability after the Red Hill fuel leaks and investing in military infrastructure during a full committee hearing. During her question line, Senator Hirono pressed Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, on whether procedural changes were being made following the Red Hill fuel spill and what the Navy is doing to prevent a similar disaster from happening again. She also emphasized her concern that systemic issues that led to the Red Hill fuel spill might still be happening at other military facilities.

“So it’s not just at Red Hill, there are other installations where this kind of review needs to take place,” said Senator Hirono during the hearing. “It’s stunning to note that the lack of ownership, poor training, lack of oversight—that characterized what happened at Red Hill—may be going on in other facilities and that needs to be changed. That kind of culture of lack of oversight is really very stunning and totally unacceptable.”

In response, Secretary Del Toro cited an updated policy requiring anyone who enters Red Hill, such as subcontractors, to be supervised properly and equipped with a detailed plan for any maintenance they plan to conduct. He also said that after the fuel leaks at Red Hill, the Navy enforced a degree of oversight at all of its fuel facilities to increase the standards of operation.

“That’s reassuring, Mr. Secretary, because as you know, the community is still very much questioning, basically, the military’s capacity to do the right thing and complete the work that needs to be done at Red Hill,” said Senator Hirono in response.

At the end of her question line, while addressing General David Berger, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Senator Hirono underscored the importance of investing in the modernization and maintenance of military infrastructure.

“There are a lot of infrastructure needs, I think, throughout the DOD and as you know, to me, Red Hill and some of the other events that have occurred with regard to the Army and the other services, says to me that we need to pay a lot more attention to our infrastructure needs,” said Senator Hirono. “The kind of deferred maintenance that is exemplified, I would say, throughout DOD is an area that I, personally, will be focused on as Chair of the Readiness Subcommittee.”

Senator Hirono concluded, “I will be paying attention to the needs of all of our services with regard to repair and maintenance of infrastructure.”

A link to download video of Senator Hirono’s full question line is available here.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, Senator Hirono is working closely with DOD leadership, community leaders in Hawaii, and her Senate colleagues to help ensure the safe and timely defueling and closure of Red Hill. In December 2022, she secured $1 billion in the FY23 National Defense Authorization Act for defueling and closing Red Hill. She also joined the Hawaii delegation in calling for a congressionally-initiated independent investigation into how DOD and the Navy responded to PFAS-based contamination events at Red Hill. In November 2022, Senator Hirono led a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin demanding information about DOD support for families and individuals impacted by the November 2021 fuel release. In April 2022, she hosted Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jack Reed (D-RI) in Hawaii for a tour of Red Hill.

Video of Senator Hirono’s full question line is available for download here

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