This fall, each state's National Guard received a federal directive to assemble 500 troops for a "quick reaction force" to be deployed to address civil disturbance and crowd control.
The order requires the teams to be ready to respond at the start of next year.
Director of the Joint Staff for the Hawaiʻi National Guard Brig. Gen. Walter Ross Jr. explained that this is something they already do.
“Well, it's not new. That's the idea for us to make sure we stress,” he said. “We've been doing it, it just now comes with additional resources for us to be more effective in doing that mission when called on to support law enforcement.”
He added that the Department of Defense, which President Donald Trump refers to now as the Department of War, would be responsible for funding any additional costs to comply with the order.
Each state will also be provided 100 sets of crowd control equipment.
Ross explained that quick reaction forces were used in Hawaiʻi to respond to the 2023 Maui wildfires.
“I'll use the Maui example,” he said. “Part of the containment area was supported by the National Guard and quartering off a lot of the areas and keeping areas safe with law enforcement.”
In that case, Gov. Josh Green asked the National Guard to respond. But this comes as President Trump has ordered National Guard units to U.S. cities like Portland, Oregon, and Los Angeles without the governors’ permission.
Common Cause Hawaii, a government watchdog organization, said it is concerned.
“The simple idea that there needs to be a military response force in each state to respond to protestors is inherently un-American,” said Common Cause Hawaii Director Camron Hurt.
“It's not based in reality to think that playing coy is going to work, and our governor and his administration are going to need to be aggressive in their protections.”
Earlier this summer, lawmakers held an informational briefing about the National Guard’s role in Hawaiʻi. During that meeting, Public Safety Committee Chair Della Au Belatti suggested that the state look into laws that could better define how guard members can be used in the state.
Hawaiʻi Public Radio exists to serve all of Hawai’i, and it’s the people of Hawai’i who keep us independent and strong. Help keep us strong to serve you in the future. Donate today.
