Reimagining security in Oceania
A StoryMap of Indigenous pursuits of justice in Hawai'i and Oceania
Nuclear and conventional deterrence stand as the dominant mode for achieving and maintaining international peach and security today, creating risks that include nuclear war and mass civilian death. Alternative frameworks for peace and security have long existed. From the perspective of Indigenous peoples of Hawai'i and Oceania, one such alternative framework is characterized by peace-building and the ongoing pursuit of social, environmental, and climate justice.
US military presence
The US Indo-Pacific Command (PACOM) has an extensive presence in Oceania. Its stated mission is centered on a strategy of deterrence that informs the development of sites, infrastructure, and posturing throughout the region: "U.S. Indo-Pacific Command will implement a combat credible deterrence strategy capable of denying our adversaries sustained air and sea dominance by focusing on posturing the Joint Force to win before fighting while being ready to fight and win, if required." With China also working to extend its influence in the region, the risk of islands in Oceania being once again used as so-called "unsinkable aircraft carriers" is increasing.
Accidents and incidents
A concentrated military presence in Hawai'i has resulted in a number of accidents and damage or contamination incidents. The following map highlights a few notable cases:
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1
Kaho'olawe
Beginning in World War II, the island of Kaho'olawe was used for target bombing practice, decimating many sacred sites that had been used by Native Hawaiians who had regularly visited the island for agriculture and worship. Bombing ceased in the 1990s when the federal government transferred custody of the island to the State of Hawaii.
2
Pohakuloa
Beginning in the 1960s, there has been more than 50 years of bombing at Pohakuloa Training Area, including the use of depleted uranium (DU) in training rounds fired by the Davy Crockett nuclear rifle. Due to increased traffic, strong winds, and occasional flash flooding in the area, there has been an increase in potential pathways of public exposure to DU aerosol particles and transport of DU around the island.
3
Makua Valley
The Mākua Valley Struggle is an ongoing land rights dispute between Native Hawaiians and the US military, which uses the area for ammunition testing. The US military has occupied parts of Mākua Valley since the 1920s. As military activity expanded, Native Hawaiians living in the area were evicted over decades, including through mass arrests.
4
Hawai'i false ballistic missile alert
On 13 January 2018, a ballistic missile text message alert was accidentally issued to the entire state population, which read: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” Thirty-eight minutes later, state officials announced the mistake, as panicked citizens were left reeling by the nature of today’s nuclear threat.
5
Red Hill Naval Fuel Facility
In 2021, a major leak from the Red Hill Fuel Facility on O'ahu poisoned thousands of people served by Navy water lines. Another major leak could make the ground water in the area permanently undrinkable. Over 100 million gallons of fuel have yet to be removed from the deteriorating tanks.
Indigenous resistance
These and other accidents and incidents have contributed to the establishment, expansion, and networking of Indigenous and allied protest movements in Hawai'i and Oceania. These organizations are often grounded in Native Hawaiian principles of justice, equity, and sustainability.
The organization O'ahu Water Protectors says that the US Navy’s Red Hill incident has left thousands of homes uninhabitable, but only military families are receiving help, so many civilians are living with dangerous water, with no acknowledgment of the problem from the military or their landlords. Composed of a network of nongovernmental organizations, academics, and citizens, O'ahu Water Protectors continues to fight for clean water.
Native Hawaiians and allies continue to fight for social, environmental, and climate justice on many fronts. A guiding idea is Na`au Pono: “Na`au” means intuition, a gut feeling. To be “pono” is to do good to and for all, to be balanced and understanding. As a whole, the phrase means following our instinct for the betterment of ourselves and our environment.
Social and environmental justice: The ahupua'a land system
The traditional Hawaiian model of land organization is still a foundation for thinking about social and environmental justice today. Land was divided into "ahupua'a" such that each community had access to mountain, agricultural, and ocean areas, allowing them the space to care for, cultivate, and thrive on their land.
Environmental and climate justice: Malama 'aina
For Native Hawaiians, the ability to access all resource regions of the land and sea came with a deep sense of responsibility to care for the land as a family member, embodied in the words "Malama 'aina," meaning to care for the land. Hawaiian practices for agricultural engineering revolve around this idea, putting sustainability at the forefront of land development.
Cooperation and nonviolence: Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono
This phrase means that the life/breath/sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. The motto of the Native Hawaiian government, the phrase embodies the deeply felt idea that both collective and individual well being are achieved through decency and integrity when interacting with others, including the land as a family member of the community. This idea stands in contrast to the precepts inherent to militaristic societies.
Resistance networks
Contemporary Indigenous resistance draws from traditional Hawaiian thinking to link social, environmental, and climate justice in an alternative vision of security that emphasizes a broad rejection of militarization and deterrence posturing.
This combination of Indigenous social and technological ideas with calls for demilitarization suggests one model for what security through nuclear disarmament could mean. That model would call for the reorienting of resources from militarism and weapons toward core global security challenges like environmental remediation and efforts to address poverty, stem climate change, and facilitate local, national, and international cooperation.
The case study illustrates new space, networks and partnerships, and a bigger aware audience for discussions around disarmament than has existed before.
Examples of relevant organizations:
O'ahu Water Protectors
Sierra Club Hawaii
Hawaii Peace and Justice
ʻĀina Momona
Malama Makua
Pōhāhā I Ka Lani
Hawaii People's Fund
Protect Pohakuloa
Protect Guam Water
Guåhan Sustainable Culture
