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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Warships were docked at Pearl Harbor during the the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2022 in July.
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The U.S. military has been an influential part of Hawaii for more than a century. It began in the late 1800s when King Kalakaua, in a treaty with the United States, gave the Navy rights to Pearl Harbor. Since then, the relationship between the military and the people of Hawaii has been mixed.
Oahu is one of the most densely populated areas in the country. There are 14 active military bases in this crowded environment. As the world grows more dangerous, military exercises get more intense, and the relationship between the military and civilians becomes contentious.
Complaints about military infringement on civilian spaces are ignored. Where is the respect? It’s understandable that some of the population think the islands are occupied.
We need to have a serious discussion weighing the needs of the military against the rights of the majority of the population to enjoy a peaceful environment.
John Stephenson
Kailua
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