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NEWS RELEASE February 3, 2006
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Case: Quadrennial Defense Report
highlights Hawaii’s growing role in nation’s defense
He says the report laying out the Pentagon’s big picture
will bolster military operations and business in Hawaii,
including shipbuildingHonolulu,
Hawaii – Congressman Ed Case (Hawaii, 2nd District) says
that the Department of Defense’s Quadrennial Defense
Report (QDR), released in Washington, D.C. today,
clearly highlights Hawaii’s expanding role in our
nation’s defense and affects a range of military and
civilian operations in the islands ranging from
shipbuilding to more mobile forces ready to deploy to
trouble spots around the world.
“The QDR confirms what we all know: the combination of
global terrorism and China’s rapidly growing military
might requires that Hawaii’s role in our nation’s
defense be accelerated,” said Case. “The QDR also
advances the forward positioning of far more mobile
forces in Hawaii and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific
region that can react on a combined-forces basis to
threats in Asia-Pacific and beyond.”
The QDR is a periodic review by the senior leaders of
the Department of Defense (DoD), both civilian and
military, that intends to look at the big picture of
where and how the U.S. must defend itself going forward.
The last QDR was issued in 2001.
The report focuses on two realities: international
terrorism and China. It continues the ongoing adjustment
in the global posture of U.S. military forces “by moving
way from a static defense in obsolete Cold War garrison,
and placing emphasis on the ability to surge quickly to
trouble spots across the globe.”
Case highlighted the following points in response to the
strategy presented in the QDR:
Hawaii’s strategic location. “Hawaii has always been a
central strategic location for our nation’s defense,
especially over the last decades as we have turned our
attention to the Asia-Pacific region. Our obligation to
our country now requires that we step up our
responsibilities as well as continue our great
civilian/military cooperation of the last decades.
“Jointness” and the presence of all military branches in
Hawaii. “The presence of all service branches in Hawaii
will definitely help the Pentagon achieve its mandate of
increased ‘jointness’—the ability of all branches
working together and interacting much
more than in the past. The presence of the regional
security operations center—a cutting-edge intelligence
facility on Oahu—which will be a headquarters for many
of the classified activities undertaken by both the DoD
and other intelligence agencies in the Pacific Region,
is just one example of an increase in ‘jointness,’ not
only in the DoD, but throughout the federal government.
“Hawaii is already the location of the world’s largest
unified, or joint, command which will be called upon to
provide worldwide leadership in the Pentagon’s desire to
improve the interaction among the different branches of
our military. Plans for a joint warfighting
center—supported by Senator Daniel Inouye—and the
regional security operations center for
intelligence-gathering will further enhance Hawaii’s
role as a military command center.”
Increased role of Brigade Combat Teams. “The ODR
envisions an increased role nationally for our reserve
and guard components, continuing the melding of active,
reserve and guard that we’ve already seen in Hawaii’s
military troop support in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Shipbuilding for Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. “The DoD
is seeking to build a larger naval fleet that includes
11 carrier strike groups and to provide stability for
the shipbuilding industry. This specific recommendation
in the QDR bodes well for our nation’s shipbuilding
industry and, in particular, the Pearl Harbor Naval
Shipyard, whose future role had been questioned in the
recent BRAC discussions.”
Enhances Pearl Harbor’s role as a possible homeport for
an aircraft carrier group. “The QDR seeks to increase
the number of aircraft carriers stationed in the
Asia-Pacific region from five to at least six,
indicating the need to continue looking at Pearl Harbor
as the homeport for an aircraft carrier group.”
Improving contracting opportunities for Hawaii’s small
businesses. “As a member of the House Committee on Small
Business, I welcome the renewed commitment reflected in
the QDR to improve the way our military facilitates
contracting opportunities with businesses. This
commitment offers the prospect of improved procurement
procedures that will grow defense contracting with small
businesses here in Hawaii. Federal procurement too often
has been an unrealized opportunity for our small
businesses.”
The QDR will now serve as the basis for DoD’s overall
decisions on basing, force positioning, systems purchase
and operation, and budgeting. Case said it will also be
most useful in supporting increased defense expenditures
in Hawaii across all services, as well as increased
defense aid of impacted state services such as education
and transportation.
Contact:
Esther Kia‘aina 202-225-4906
(Washington, D.C.)
Randy Obata, 808-541-1986
(Honolulu)
Release
Number: 2006-03 |
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Last Updated:
02/16/2006
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