There has been a fair amount of talk about a possible missile test by North Korea, possibly around the Fourth of July holiday. Despite the initial hoopla and talk about "defending America" from a North Korean missile launched "in the direction of Hawaii," life goes on in the islands with not much care given to the idea by people in Hawaii.
But messages are mixed: first Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and President Obama make it clear America is ready to defend itself and, in a report on the question of a possible missile test last week, a local Hawaii television news station blithely ends saying that in the event of a missile launch we (the public in Hawaii) will be notified with a siren blast and radio warnings. Great.
But does anyone really think that A) the North Koreans could fire a missile as far as Hawaii and B) even if they could, they would want to? What would they gain by incurring the wrath of the United States?
Interestingly, last Thursday (6/25), in a mass email sent by the office of Hawaii's junior (he's only 84 years old) Senator Daniel Akaka with the subject line "North Korean Missile Test," he wrote his constituents:
This morning, I was briefed by officials from the Department of Defense regarding the threat of a North Korean missile test in the coming weeks. Based on the information I received about the Department's readiness and the Administration's attention to this matter, I am confident that we are prepared to defend against any North Korean missile should it be directed toward Hawaii.
Aloha pumehana,
U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka
More confidence-instilling measures?
The whole thing is tricky because, on one hand, if you give it too much attention, it comes off as fear-mongering. On the other hand, if you just joke about it or blow it off entirely, you appear to be smug and cavalier.
If only we had Governor Sarah Palin here in Hawaii, for surely she would be able to see North Korea from our shores and in the event of an actual missile launch, she could give us early warning.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Hanging loose despite 'missile talk'
Lihue, HAWAII — Pretty, little Kauai, the smallest of the four most populous Hawaiian islands is also the closest to…North Korea.
Last week (June 18) when Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper reported that North Korea may be preparing to launch a long-range ballistic missile some time around the Fourth of July, the report was given significant attention after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the U.S. is in a “good position, should it become necessary, to protect Americans and American territory.”
Gates, Pentagon officials, and on Monday President Obama expressed confidence that U.S. missile defenses offer adequate protection from a foreign missile launch, specifically North Korea’s most sophisticated long-range missile, the Taepodong-2 which is believed to have a range of up to 4,000 miles (about 500 miles short of Kauai).
The Pentagon announced that missile defenses would be beefed up in Hawaii, with the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system being deployed to the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai. In fact, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Command on Oahu, orders to deploy THAAD were issued long before the current situation with North Korea.
PMRF, the world’s largest military testing and training range occupies 2,385 acres on the west side of Kauai, an island known more as a tropical vacation get-away than its hi-tech military testing and training facility.
The naval base (also called Barking Sands), employs about 65 navy personnel and nearly 800 civilians. PMRF is surrounded dry coastal plains and the longest continuous stretch of beach in Hawaii. The 17-mile ribbon of golden sand is considered epic coastline beloved by surfers, kayakers, fisherman and shell collectors; hardly the place one would expect to see a missile attack, but the base gives the island strategic importance.
For residents, the notion of the “Garden Island” as a potential target on a North Korean “list” seems surreal, bordering on the absurd, not to mention a serious breech of the “aloha spirit.”
But despite talk of a possible North Korean missile launch which might someday reach Hawaii, people on Kauai take the news in stride and life carries on as always – people shop at local farmers markets, they go to the beach, they mow their lawns.
What else is one to do?
More immediate concerns include preparing for another hurricane season, the state’s highest unemployment in 30 years (7.4 percent) and a continuing drop in Hawaii’s biggest economic driver tourism which has faced ongoing challenges since last year’s soaring fuel costs, the global recession, fears (mostly from Japanese travelers) about the H1N1 flu virus, and now this.
Not wanting to send confusing messages, or the wrong message, civilian and government officials are keeping mostly mum about the current North Korean situation. From tourism and State Civil Defense to the governor, PMRF and the Pacific Command Public Affairs office, no one has much to say, each deferring to the next higher level of bureaucracy, leaving public commentary to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who said, “We do have some concerns if they were to launch a missile to the [west] in the direction of Hawaii.”
Unfortunately for Hawaii’s public image, this sort of talk is awfully vague and any missile launched to the east from North Korea, away from China and Russia, would be, at least technically, “in the direction of Hawaii.”
So if you’re thinking of taking a vacation to the Islands this summer, don’t let Kim Jong Il ruin your plans. The crowds are noticeably smaller, businesses and hotels are clamoring for patronage, and the water is warm and blue.
The one public notice PMRF has released publicizes its upcoming Stars & Stripes Freedom Celebration, this year on July 2.
Open to the public, the on-base event will feature fireworks, food, craft booths and live music. The event promises a “12-minute heart-pounding fireworks display” and requests “no pets, coolers, backpacks or weapons.”
Taepodong-2s strictly prohibited, the fireworks over Kauai are one aerial display Robert Gates won’t have to worry about.
Last week (June 18) when Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper reported that North Korea may be preparing to launch a long-range ballistic missile some time around the Fourth of July, the report was given significant attention after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the U.S. is in a “good position, should it become necessary, to protect Americans and American territory.”
Gates, Pentagon officials, and on Monday President Obama expressed confidence that U.S. missile defenses offer adequate protection from a foreign missile launch, specifically North Korea’s most sophisticated long-range missile, the Taepodong-2 which is believed to have a range of up to 4,000 miles (about 500 miles short of Kauai).
The Pentagon announced that missile defenses would be beefed up in Hawaii, with the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system being deployed to the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai. In fact, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Command on Oahu, orders to deploy THAAD were issued long before the current situation with North Korea.
PMRF, the world’s largest military testing and training range occupies 2,385 acres on the west side of Kauai, an island known more as a tropical vacation get-away than its hi-tech military testing and training facility.
The naval base (also called Barking Sands), employs about 65 navy personnel and nearly 800 civilians. PMRF is surrounded dry coastal plains and the longest continuous stretch of beach in Hawaii. The 17-mile ribbon of golden sand is considered epic coastline beloved by surfers, kayakers, fisherman and shell collectors; hardly the place one would expect to see a missile attack, but the base gives the island strategic importance.
For residents, the notion of the “Garden Island” as a potential target on a North Korean “list” seems surreal, bordering on the absurd, not to mention a serious breech of the “aloha spirit.”
But despite talk of a possible North Korean missile launch which might someday reach Hawaii, people on Kauai take the news in stride and life carries on as always – people shop at local farmers markets, they go to the beach, they mow their lawns.
What else is one to do?
More immediate concerns include preparing for another hurricane season, the state’s highest unemployment in 30 years (7.4 percent) and a continuing drop in Hawaii’s biggest economic driver tourism which has faced ongoing challenges since last year’s soaring fuel costs, the global recession, fears (mostly from Japanese travelers) about the H1N1 flu virus, and now this.
Not wanting to send confusing messages, or the wrong message, civilian and government officials are keeping mostly mum about the current North Korean situation. From tourism and State Civil Defense to the governor, PMRF and the Pacific Command Public Affairs office, no one has much to say, each deferring to the next higher level of bureaucracy, leaving public commentary to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who said, “We do have some concerns if they were to launch a missile to the [west] in the direction of Hawaii.”
Unfortunately for Hawaii’s public image, this sort of talk is awfully vague and any missile launched to the east from North Korea, away from China and Russia, would be, at least technically, “in the direction of Hawaii.”
So if you’re thinking of taking a vacation to the Islands this summer, don’t let Kim Jong Il ruin your plans. The crowds are noticeably smaller, businesses and hotels are clamoring for patronage, and the water is warm and blue.
The one public notice PMRF has released publicizes its upcoming Stars & Stripes Freedom Celebration, this year on July 2.
Open to the public, the on-base event will feature fireworks, food, craft booths and live music. The event promises a “12-minute heart-pounding fireworks display” and requests “no pets, coolers, backpacks or weapons.”
Taepodong-2s strictly prohibited, the fireworks over Kauai are one aerial display Robert Gates won’t have to worry about.
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