Pohakuloa Training Area

Pohakuloa Training Area
Name	Pohakuloa Training Area
Location	Island of Hawaiʻi, Hawaii
Coordinates	19°36′N 155°41′W
Type	Training area
Controlledby	United States Army
Sitearea	133000acre

Pohakuloa Training Area is a large United States Army training complex located on the island of Hawaiʻi within the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park region on the Big Island of Hawaii. The installation sits on the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain near active volcanic features including Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, and Hualālai, and it supports combined-arms training, live-fire exercises, and multinational exercises involving units from the United States Marine Corps, United States Air Force, United States Navy, and allied militaries such as the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Australian Army.

History

The area was used by Native Hawaiian communities associated with the chiefdoms of Kamehameha I and the aliʻi of Hawaiʻi (island), and later became contested during the era of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the Hawaiian Monarchy. The site’s modern military use began in the early 20th century with small-scale maneuvers connected to the United States Army presence in the Territory of Hawaii and expanded during World War II alongside installations such as Pearl Harbor and Fort Shafter. In the Cold War era, the complex grew to accommodate live-fire ranges and joint exercises linked to strategic planning around the Pacific Command and later United States Indo-Pacific Command. During the post-Cold War period, the training area hosted multinational exercises like RIMPAC and supported deployments related to operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The history of the installation has intersected with legal and political issues involving the Department of Defense and local authorities including the State of Hawaii and county governments.

Geography and Environment

Situated on the ʻāā and pāhoehoe lava flows of the Hawaiian Islands shield volcanoes, the training area occupies a high-elevation plateau between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa featuring sparse alpine and subalpine ecosystems near Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. The landscape includes cinder cones, lava flows, and native vegetation communities that are habitat for species listed under the Endangered Species Act such as the Hawaiian petrel, ʻuaʻu (Hawaiian petrel), the Hawaiian hoary bat, and diverse Hawaiian honeycreepers including the ʻapapane and ʻiʻiwi. Hydrologically, the area influences aquifers tied to the Hawaiʻi Island watershed and is proximate to cultural sites connected with Native Hawaiian practices and the archaeological record of the Pre-contact Hawaii period. Climatic influences derive from the Trade winds, orographic lift from adjacent summits, and microclimates around Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea.

Military Operations and Facilities

The training area contains live-fire ranges, maneuver areas, amphibious coordination zones, and airspace coordination with nearby installations including Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam, and civilian aerodromes on Hawaiʻi (island). It supports combined-arms training for units from the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and rotational brigades of the U.S. Army Pacific, with logistics ties to the Defense Logistics Agency and training frameworks such as the Joint Chiefs of Staff publications and U.S. Army field manuals. Range infrastructure includes target berms, ordnance impact areas, forward operating base simulators, and communications linked to the Defense Information Systems Agency. The installation hosts multinational exercises that have included participants from the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, the New Zealand Defence Force, and the Canadian Armed Forces as part of broader Pacific security cooperation frameworks.

Environmental and Cultural Impact

Military activities have prompted assessments under environmental laws administered by agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, with consultations involving the National Park Service and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Concerns include unexploded ordnance, erosion on fragile lava soils, impacts to endangered species such as the Hawaiian monk seal (in regional context), and disturbance of archaeological sites tied to the Native Hawaiian cultural landscape. Litigation and administrative reviews have invoked statutes related to land use and conservation, drawing advocacy from organizations such as the Sierra Club and Native Hawaiian groups connected to ʻāina rights and the Kūʻē Petition–era legacy. Remediation, mitigation, and cultural monitoring programs have involved contractors and federal partners including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration when marine training impacts are implicated.

Public Access and Safety

Public access is managed through coordination with the State of Hawaii and local Hawaiʻi County authorities; access restrictions and closures are often posted in collaboration with the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and Civil Air Patrol for aerial safety notifications. Safety measures address unexploded ordnance clearance, emergency medical evacuation coordination with Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and wildfire prevention in cooperation with the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources. Recreational users of adjacent lands, including hikers visiting landmarks on Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, must heed notices from the training area and agencies such as the National Weather Service.

Future Plans and Management

Future management emphasizes integrated resource management plans developed by the United States Army Garrison in consultation with federal agencies like the Department of the Interior, state entities such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and stakeholder groups including county officials and Native Hawaiian cultural practitioners. Plans consider enhanced environmental monitoring, ordnance remediation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, adaptive range modernization in line with Department of Defense training requirements, and expanded cooperation for multinational exercises within Indo-Pacific Command theater strategies. Ongoing dialogue addresses cultural preservation, species conservation under the Endangered Species Act, and land stewardship consistent with regional planning involving the Hawaiʻi State Planning Act.

Category:Military installations in Hawaii Category:Hawaiʻi (island) geography