Recently, the increasingly hostile and unstable regime in North Korea demonstrated to the world that it now has the capability of striking U.S. soil with a nuclear warhead. With its latest and escalating actions, North Korea again reminded us of the constant dangers to the safety and security of our western states, and none more so than Hawaii.

Hawaii is home to some of our most important military assets, and represents the United States in the Pacific. Due to our symbolic, as well as material importance in the region, Hawaii is a prime target for North Korean aggression. For these reasons, the Hawaii Values Coalition recently called upon Congress to take direct action to protect not just Hawaii, but the United States and our allies, from the growing nuclear threats we face.

President Donald Trump and many in Congress have long called for increases in defense spending. Recognizing the importance of Hawaii for missile defense, Trump’s budget included funds for Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii (HDR-HI). Unfortunately, the program is nearly a decade away from being able to protect the Pacific.

We simply can’t wait that long to begin defending ourselves from growing threats in the East. The U.S. also has a responsibility to protect not only ourselves, but our allies in the region who are threatened by countries other than North Korea. We must be mindful of countries like Russia, and their extensive missile capabilities, as well as Iran, which has long sought nuclear weapons.

While it is essential that our nation continue to develop innovative weapons and systems so that we may always be more technologically advanced than our potential enemies, the ability to defend Hawaii exists right now. This technology is ready to take immediate, cost-effective action to protect Hawaii and the mainland against the ever- growing threats from North Korea.

Trump has requested an increase in defense spending, something that’s desperately needed.

Fortunately, there are steps that Congress can and should take right now to boost our security.

We urge Congress to authorize and fund, through the National Defense Authorization Act and Defense Appropriations legislation, an examination of readily available alternatives like the Aegis Ashore system with additional SM-3 interceptors and a truck-mounted THAAD system with the AN/TPY-2 radar.

These multi-tiered defense systems would allow multiple opportunities to down any incoming missiles. They already exist, so we wouldn’t need to wait on their creation, and they are proven to work.

Also, the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands on Kauai can be operationalized without compromising the site’s missile testing capabilities. While critics have used this as an argument against installing these defense systems, Adm. Harry Harris, head of U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), has stated that these concerns aren’t valid, and confirmed that operational capabilities and missiles testing can coexist.

Instead of just talking about increasing our security, Congress should authorize these near-term actions, and deliver on its promises of a safer country.

This isn’t difficult to understand. We are no longer facing hypothetical threats. We no longer have the luxury of time either. The administration recognizes the importance of missile defense systems in Hawaii, and Congress must act now to protect us, and the vital interests of the United States that are in danger.

Andresen Blom is president of the Hawaii Values Coalition, which works in Washington, D.C., and Hawaii on issues affected on the federal level.