Changing of the guard: New PTA commander oversees the maintenance of the lease

If Lt. Col. Kevin Cronin assumes the post of garrison commander of the Pohakuloa Training Area in June, his tenure will include overseeing an environmental statement and negotiating for the Army to maintain their lease of nearly 23,000 acres of state land in the saddle between Maunakea and Mauna Loa.

The lease is a top priority for the military, Maj. Gen. James “Jamie” B. Jarrard, commander of the 25th Infantry Division and the US Army Hawaii, told the Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce on Monday. Jarrard, guest speaker on the conference call for the group’s annual general meeting, said the limited size of coverage in Oahu means the PTA has a vital role to play in maintaining military readiness in the Pacific.

“It is vital to the US Army and also to the United States Marine Crops and also to the Hawaii National Guard. It is critical to our ability to maintain readiness, ”said Jarrard. “So that we can keep readiness no matter what our nation demands of us, so that we can go and win.”

The current 65-year lease between the military and the state of Hawaii in 1964 expires on August 16, 2029, but work is well underway, including an environmental impact draft due to be released next spring. The army held scoping meetings last fall and received the first round of public contributions to maintain the lease.

The land, the largest contiguous shooting range in the state, has been routinely used for military training since 1943, and the state-owned land has been leased by the army since 1964. As part of the lease, the Army paid $ 1 for the entire land for 65 years.

Army officials say PTA is a good neighbor who provides jobs, economic fuel and support to the community. For example, PTA employees provide fire and rescue services for an area of ​​420 square miles and maintain collections of endangered plants for protection. The training area’s 230 employees live and contribute in communities across the island, but mostly in Hilo. Units that come to training also get involved in community projects ranging from beach cleanups to building playgrounds.

Construction at PTA is pumping money into the economy by employing more than 100 construction workers on two projects – new barracks and drainage and utility updates – totaling $ 37 million, said Michael Donnelly, PTA’s public affairs officer last year Month in a press release.

“The combined construction contracts involve more than 100 local craftsmen doing masonry, heavy equipment work, utility work and general work,” he said. “During the pandemic, these types of contracts provide families on the Island of Hawaii with consistent, well-paying jobs.”

Not everyone is happy with PTA’s presence on the island. Local activist Jim Albertini, who repeatedly leads protests and sign movements in front of the gates of the PTA, has called for a broad civic movement such as stopping the bombing of the island of Kaho’olawe.

“The entire land in Pohakuloa should be cleared by the US military and returned to the Hawaiian people,” Albertini said in an email on September 15. “An important step in this process of demilitarizing Pohakuloa and Hawaii is to stop the PTA rental renewal. “

Cronin is expected to take over on June 4th. In the meantime he is on the island and under the direction of the outgoing commanding officer, Lt. Col. Loreto “JR” V. Borce, familiar with the various communities, under what Donnelly said is known as “Orientation Onboarding”.

Cronin previously served as Special Assistant on Middle East, Africa and Cyber ​​Policy in the Secretary of Defense’s Bureau for Legislative Affairs and as a Policy Advisor in the Secretary of Defense’s Office for Policy. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2003 and holds a Masters in International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, according to the non-partisan, nonprofit Center for a New American Security.