Hawai‘i National Guard not activating for now amid conflict in Iran

At this time, the Hawaiʻi National Guard is not activating or deploying locally following the U.S. military attacks on Iran in the joint operation with Israel, the Hawai‘i National Guard said Monday afternoon.

“We are standing by and are in constant communication with Governor (Josh) Green,” according to an emailed statement from the Hawai‘i National Guard.

No additional training is taking place at Pōhakuloa Training Area, but the Big Island base has a heightened level of security for employees and visitors.

The attacks on Iran were launched on Feb. 28. Less than 2 hours later, Iran launched a counter-attack on Israel, and within 30 minutes, it retaliated by firing missiles at U.S. bases throughout the region in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, sending ripples throughout the Middle East, according to the Associated Press.

President Donald Trump announced that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. However, on Monday, the Associated Press reported the intensity of attacks and “lack of any apparent exit plan” set the stage for a prolonged conflict with far-reaching consequences.

Trump said Monday that the operation would likely take several weeks.

Over the weekend, Hawai‘i’s Congressional delegation spoke out against the military action. And on Monday, U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz spoke on the Senate floor against Trump’s “war of choice” against Iran. The Hawai‘i lawmaker voiced his support for a War Powers Resolution to block U.S. military action in Iran and highlighted the president’s failure to explain to the public why military action was necessary.

“This is a war of choice. It did not have to happen,” said Schatz, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “There was no imminent threat from Iran. The indications right up until the attacks were that negotiations were actually trending well.

“And remember that if Donald Trump hadn’t pulled out of the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action known as the Iran nuclear deal) to begin with, Iran’s nuclear program would have continued to be managed. This is the president of the United States asserting that he can do whatever he wants, wherever he wants, with the most powerful military in history at his disposal.”