The U.S. military is evolving, and Hawaii’s economy must evolve with it. Although the exact scope of Army downsizing at U.S. bases nationwide has yet to be determined, a state that depends so heavily on military spending must anticipate and adapt to some losses, especially in the post-Inouye era.

Proponents of maintaining and even expanding the military’s footprint in the islands exhort the community to continu-ously express vocal support for keeping bases and other facilities here open, calling especially for support for live-fire training capability.

It’s true that Hawaii can no longer depend on U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye to preserve Hawaii’s major role in our national defense. Prior to his death in December 2012, Inouye was chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the most powerful committee in the chamber, and headed Appropriations’ most powerful panel, the subcommittee on defense. Grassroots backing for the military was superfluous with Inouye at the helm.

The defense industry is second only to tourism as a revenue source for Hawaii, according to the Chamber of Commerce, pumping $14.7 billion into the economy and creating tens of thousands of jobs for permanent residents. It is a much-needed sector on which many affiliated civilian businesses and institutions depend. Broad community support is warranted.

Still, Hawaii residents should not overreact to the loss of Inouye’s influence with blind support for military practices that exact too heavy a toll on Hawaii’s fragile natural environment and ancient cultural resources.

Resumption of live-fire training in Makua Valley, for example, would be too high a price to pay. The 10-year lull in such exercises, during wartime, aptly demonstrates that this Leeward Oahu site is not essential to military readiness, nor to the Army’s continued presence on Oahu. Similarly, caution is warranted over the major buildout at Pohakuloa Training Area on the island of Hawaii, where live-fire exercises do occur.

The U.S. military’s need for live-fire training sites in Hawaii is well established, as is its history of leaving a toxic trail in the wake of those essential exercises. Even amid fears of downsizing that could hurt Hawaii’s economy, that history cannot be forgotten.

The Pentagon’s study of force reductions and realignments at U.S. military outposts is driven by budget sequestration and the changing dynamics of warfare in the 21st century, which requires rapid deployment of flexible fighting forces to thwart terrorists who threaten national security.

The Army 2020 Force Structure Realignment Report examines potential impacts from downsizing at 30 installations, including in Hawaii. It spelled out the possible loss of up to 19,800 soldiers and civilian workers on Oahu. Counting their 30,035 family members, that would be about 5 percent of Honolulu’s population.

That’s the worst-case scenario, though, and such severe cuts in Hawaii would be illogical given the ongoing U.S. pivot toward Asia. However, politics sometimes trumps military strategy and even national security when it comes to defense cuts that affect local economies. Hawaii is more vulnerable without Inouye in charge.

The sensible community response in this uncertain environment is not to abandon valid criticism of past military practices, such as live-fire training at Makua, nor is it to downplay the immediate economic consequences of a major Army pullout, as the military’s harshest critics here do.

The balanced response is to support the military’s presence most fervently where the national security mission and community support align.