US military affirms it will end live-fire training in Hawaii’s Makua Valley

HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. military has confirmed that it will permanently end live-fire training in Makua Valley on Oahu. Hawaii News Now reported it’s a major win for Native Hawaiian groups and environmentalists after decades of activism. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth confirmed the military’s new stance in a statement filed in federal court in Hawaii on Friday. The statement said the military would no longer need to conduct live-fire training at the Makua Military Reservation, now or in the future. Under the terms of a 2001 settlement, the military hasn’t conducted such training there since 2004. But environmental groups say Friday’s court filing makes that permanent. Makua Valley was the site of live-fire military training for decades.