The Marine Corps is seeking public comment on its plan to base squadrons of KC-130J tanker planes and MQ-9 Reaper drones in Kaneohe. While part of an effort to prep its forces for potential future conflicts, the proposed restructuring may come at the expense of part of the base’s wartime past.
According to a draft environmental assessment released this month, new facilities to host the new squadrons would require the demolition of Hanger 103, which was under construction during the surprise Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941, and is eligible for listing on the National Historic Register.
The assessment determined that under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 the project would also result in “adverse effects” to other historic sites on the base. In addition to demolishing the hangar, the assessment said the project includes “possible removal or paving over of Bravo Ramp paved area bomb craters and strafing damage” sustained in the attack that launched the U.S. into World War II, and removal of “historic paving elements, such as tie-downs.”
The service is soliciting public feedback on the plan until Wednesday.
The Marines are trying to balance preserving the past and planning for the future. The new squadrons are part of the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030, a restructuring of the entire Marine Corps with a focus on coastal and island operations. The shift is largely geared toward operations in the Pacific, which the Pentagon considers to be its top priority theater of operations.
Marine brass hope the new Corps will be able to more quickly respond to humanitarian emergencies in remote island communities and confront Beijing.
China is locked in a series of maritime territorial disputes with its neighbors over a series of islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Beijing, which considers the entire region its exclusive territory, has stationed troops and built bases in these disputed regions. The standoff has militarized the waterway through which more than one-third of all international trade travels.
The Marine Corps reorganization process is beginning on Oahu, where in March the service activated the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment — which is positioned to serve as the model for other units as the branch looks to return to its amphibious roots after two decades of hunting insurgents in mountains and deserts.
But while its new approach is in many ways a return to the “island hopping” type operations that defined WWII in the Pacific, it has a 21st century edge to it, with commanders envisioning a much more high-tech and agile Marine Corps.
As part of the process the Marines decided to remove their traditional helicopters based on Oahu. Two helicopter squadrons were deactivated in April at the base. Marines at MCBH will retain squadrons of MV-22 Ospreys, “tilt-rotor” aircraft that have the characteristics of both planes and helicopters. The Osprey can fly much farther and faster than traditional helicopters. It’s capable of traveling from Hawaii to other island nations, with the help of fueling aircraft like the KC-130Js.
Marines at Kaneohe have also shelved RQ-21A Blackjack reconnaissance drones, which completed their last flights in May, to make room for the Reaper drones. MCBH is set to get six Reapers, which have a much larger wingspan and fuel capacity than the Blackjacks. The Marines are hoping to use them at sea to conduct surveillance across the vast expanse of the Pacific.
Last year two Reapers flew to Hawaii from the mainland in their first trans-Pacific flight to take part in a series of joint Air Force-Marine exercises in the islands. This summer Reapers were used during exercise Rim of the Pacific to give real-time updates in efforts to respond to an engine fire aboard a Peruvian vessel. Reapers also played a role in ship- sinking exercises.
The assessment said that putting the new squadrons at Kaneohe is necessary to “extend the capability, versatility, and range of Hawaii-based Marine Corps and other forces through additional refueler, transport, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities” in support of U.S. operations in the Pacific
The assessment said new squadrons would bring about 676 personnel, as well as their family members, to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, but also touch off departure of more than 800 Marines and their families with the former squadrons. The assessment found that restructuring would result in an overall 11% decrease in air operations.
Additionally, the Marines have other ambitious plans in the works for their forces at Kaneohe, some of which may require more renovation and reorganization of the base. Last year the service announced it would be divesting its howitzer artillery in favor of new missile systems, and will also get rid of its amphibious AAV personnel carriers.
Marines in Hawaii are set to be the first to receive the new Light Amphibious Warship. The warships would haul Marines and their new missiles to islands around the region and be operated jointly with the Navy, with up to 40 sailors and at least 75 Marines serving on each ship. According to the Congressional Research Service the new ships will be between 200 and 400 feet long and cost between $100 million to $150 million each.
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HAVE YOUR SAY
The draft environmental assessment can be read online,
mcbhawaii.marines.mil/Portals/114/WebDocuments/Home-Basing/MCBH_HB_Draft_EA_Aug2022_Final.pdf
Comments on the assessment can be emailed to nfpacreceive@us.navy.mil or mailed to EV21 Project Mgr., MCB Hawaii Home Basing EA, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Pacific, 258 Makalapa Dr., Ste 100, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI 96860-3134.
Public feedback on the plan is open until Wednesday
Marines draft environmental… by Honolulu Star-Advertiser
