Military Land Lease Renewal in Hawaiʻi
The U.S. Army’s current leases for training lands on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island expire in 2029.
On Hawaiʻi Island, at Pōhakuloa Training Area (PTA), the Army has proposed retaining 19,700 acres of state-owned land.
On Oʻahu, the Army has proposed retaining 450 acres of state-owned land at Kahuku Training Area (KTA).
The Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) rejected the Army’s Final Environmental Impact Statements (FEIS) for both Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island earlier this year. In response, the Army issued its Record of Decision (ROD) for PTA in late-July, and its ROD for Oʻahu training lands in early August. Governor Josh Green and the Department of Land and Natural Resources, are working with the Army to ensure all legal requirements are met while considering next steps to achieve the best possible outcome for the people of Hawaiʻi.
Other Released Documents
- August 20, 2025: U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Letter to Governor Green
- August 21, 2025: Governor Green Acknowledges Receipt of U.S. Army Letter on Military Land Leases in Hawaiʻi
- September 29, 2025: Governor Green and U.S. Army Secretary Driscoll Announce Statement of Principles
- October 29, 2025: Summary of Federal Consultations and Path Forward for Army Training Lands in Hawaiʻi
- November 6, 2025 U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Letter to Governor Green
- December 2, 2025 Governor Green Letter to Dan Driscoll
The Governor responded to Secretary Driscoll’s November 6 letter by reaffirming Hawaiʻi’s commitment to continued, structured negotiations on Army training lands, emphasizing that Hawaiʻi’s people deserve a durable and transparent agreement rather than an expedited timeline that cannot be met by the end of 2025. He urged both sides to prioritize concrete progress on major community benefit commitments, including the return and restoration of Mākua Valley, unexploded ordnance cleanup, expanded Army housing investments, and federal interagency actions on energy, Medicare locality adjustments, cesspools, and the federal detention center. The Governor also asked the Army to clarify its legal position on eminent domain, its consultation with the Department of Justice, and the limitations of short-term lease extensions, underscoring the gravity of the decisions ahead and the need for a negotiated resolution that provides certainty for Hawaiʻi’s communities.