[News] US war games in Pacific seek global participation in imperialist maneuvers

Sat Jul 13 14:14:39 EDT 2024

peoplesdispatch.org
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/07/13/us-war-games-in-pacific-seek-global-participation-in-imperialist-maneuvers/>
US war games in Pacific seek global participation in imperialist maneuvers
Kawenaʻulaokalā Kapahua, Joy Lehuanani Enomoto
July 13, 2024
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[image: Hawaii-rimpac-2-2048x1152.jpg]

USS Carl Vinson in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Photo: US Navy

Every two years, the Indo-Pacific Command Center of the United States
convenes the largest maritime war exercises on the planet. With over 35,000
troops participating, 29 nations, 46 naval surface ships, 4 nuclear
submarines, and a multitude of air and ground forces, the Rim of the
Pacific military exercises, or RIMPAC, is one of the most destructive
training events globally.

Through these exercises, the US consolidates its control of the Pacific.
RIMPAC began as an annual training exercise in 1971 and became bi-annual in
1974. Since it began, some of the historically worst human rights abusers
like the US, Australia, Canada, and Israel have participated in the
exercise. The US has a long history of using the Hawaiian islands for
target practice. In 1965, the US Navy detonated a bomb on the Kaho’olawe
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the equivalent of 500 tons of dynamite, breaking the island’s water table
and carpeting the island with unexploded ordinances.

Hawaiʻi was illegally seized by American sugar planters in 1893 who were
supported by the US military and sought the Hawaiian harbor of Puʻuloa
(Pearl Harbor) for a coaling station. In 1898, the US Congress, which had
actually lost the treaty of annexation, illegally took Hawaiʻi by joint
resolution. Hawaiʻi has remained under illegal occupation by the US and its
military since then.
*US militarism destroys our land through RIMPAC*

RIMPAC as a symptom of the US empire has immense environmental and cultural
ramifications. Geopolitically, the exercises are used to control trade
routes, train genocidal regimes, and posture against China. Since Obama’s
“Pivot to Asia” strategy, the US has shifted from cold war tactics of
diplomacy and arms procurement to hot war tactics of aggressive invasion
and unchecked military build-up. RIMPAC is used to test weapons and
military technology for weapons manufacturers.

Between San Diego to Hawaiʻi, havoc is wrought upon both our land and sea
through the US military and their war games. They sink ships, carry out
mock marine invasions of urban and jungle warfare, and engage in live fire
training in conservation zones that cause fires across thousands of acres
and threaten endangered species. All of these “routine” exercises take
place in areas that are cultural and ancestral sites of deep value.

The US military’s largest base in our islands is Pōhakuloa, a sacred region
of Hawaiʻi Island, thousands of acres utilized as a firing range to train
militaries in the tactics of warfare, suppression, and invasion. Mākua
Valley was a former civilian town turned into a firing range between World
War II and 2004, which filled the valley with unexploded ordinances, white
phosphorus, and other forever chemicals
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The US Marine base at Mōkapu is built upon one of the most ancient villages
in Hawaiʻi where residents were expelled to make room for the base. In
addition to the massive pollution and raw sewage spills the base puts out
into the surrounding ocean, it is also a sacred burial site where many iwi
kūpuna (ancestral bones) are buried near the coast.

RIMPAC also threatens vulnerable and delicate ecosystems and our vast
oceanic nature reserves which are restricted conservation zones except for
the military. The US Navy has faced multiple lawsuits for the death of
whales from mass beachings to escape naval sonar
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multiple helicopters and planes have crashed onto our beaches and ocean
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and sea turtles lose access to their traditional nesting grounds
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BLSxGWnSEGYwvdjJKcIbhsuiXpFjfysbfy43nA1iSs60cp0WdKHCZscaw9ynC2hdjWWsqtJoS3WLtFaOYLbhh3BrMJgcSNzYe3goL5JxILrQ-2F9bTx7G6p5UJIi5YNGyClw-3D-3DXwND_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3Aw56DUCD5l3XutrChpgi7qcHiMWrlywfoQRMfg-2BTuwdcb3Ug2bP4DhiwN-2Bvf-2FtPYn3iGLv5mZc8iZrxdDBeDgpaMH4lFT2BDWIEMqwCgZa6fgm-2FJxqJi-2F3LwfCpZF85hzQfB-2FsgIkVb4lG-2F5E7kjF7qIw6XOapdCCQ41OsuYQW5PYdb1JdVD7TxXitPlvFBAbOgmjkVHZF2irqBcPE8kiRQ-3D-3D>
due to the practice of amphibious assaults on our beaches. The US military
is the largest driver of the climate crisis and RIMPAC’s environmental
impact only adds to this catastrophe by risking the livelihood of ocean
nations through repeated missiles, explosions, and heavy metal waste being
driven into the Pacific as a result of these exercises. Therefore, RIMPAC
is in direct violation of its own Marine Species Awareness Training (MSAT)
and its own Protective Measures and Assessment Protocols (PMAP) which
require that the Navy be in compliance with the Marine Mammal Protection
Act and the Endangered Species and ensure mitigation to prevent any injury,
behavioral change, or death. Each year RIMPAC is planned, the US Navy
Indo-Pacific Command requests exemption to these laws from NOAA and the
Department of Defense, with extraordinary requests to allow incidental
“takes” (deaths) of marine mammals in the millions. There is also no limit
to the number of marine birds it can take during the exercises. RIMPAC
threatens no less than 12 endangered species.
*RIMPAC: Exporting violence*

Besides its obscene show of environmental destruction, RIMPAC supports the
repression of Indigenous cultures throughout the world by actively training
regimes that are currently inflicting genocide or other human rights
violations on its Indigenous peoples. RIMPAC plays out various “future
scenarios of potential terrorists.” In 2022, RIMPAC enacted a pretend
invasion of North Korea
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BJHilK5unK1RAVHSMu5Z-2BWSjgeTp7iFUJjpEjLsCbk-2F7IlHPWqy04heTyQ3ReEXHkA-3D-3D-oEG_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3A4xSimYxtSkFkncUY0O7xyLdMKoB6hopF5JWKOcGjB3j8AHRWCm0qY4Ak6WF1-2B0KJna8eTUxc59rk-2FFvPZLUoaXBJTmO-2BTOqyrx0YcXNvSFrRLzTBA8rM4eBh0iPpfGkPi1jHCyiVOsQusmGB-2F-2FmxJoKA7kDu9sP-2B-2Fik5zVjt4JCksXAyh1ILIKuNUyKkonk-2FGnEtINGpVNNXQDWp2Sc-2F4g-3D-3D>,
going house to house executing a regime change operation with houses
decorated with pictures of Kim Jong Un. Prior to that, in 2016, RIMPAC used
the Hawaiian Islands to play out a scenario of imaginary so-called “enemy
states” seeking to expand power
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BJbZGtcXNtGJryEl6MierPVHYIWARixSxdNrNNhTLhSoN5Dde-2F2cd3NqJANakHJRXbAdBirl4qZmFkfTYXzEvfR8FiOTxWsLAnmc5C60iqoIkJbG_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3AlgNO6E99DUqjFDRjXJ0FeVk9BOgv1v4gn6LrSKDXBz1NR19q86Oem6PKFAcwwW3ChTyjwXK0F8w-2FSW0LY4OcFFkxc6z3kP98S46BSBobniJJ-2FuCdmzUxtQVrRLQwO27uclrKPSJgkA8LjwRqZFITENUf25xCf0XRCyMupIJ6HrjnPKj5sxMxRF-2FDt07Jsw5sQnP8MedjY4t4wji32O4MwA-3D-3D>
that played counter to Western influences. And of course, there is the
constant saber-rattling and escalation against China which is used as a
scapegoat by the new US Cold War.

RIMPAC also brings with it a significant increase in gender-based violence.
Studies have shown a significant leap in human trafficking and sexual
exploitation
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BB9VwNVzF8wqETBN12yVEQ97InfjbSDX5M6-2Bz3WhZ-2BCjKKJu19vVl9ibvausreo3Uv7NlvBoajkqzRwNuKgj56647niXDQ-2BrFh6P2-2FBwgDhZVhYL77Qj4DxJXxbDXD-2BAYED6eBcdUCEqwZnyYuxFhyw-3DlTWq_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3AiMS5YS8PkYNZaTLXxiEI9BXjR-2FchG7PYPAPcmSNN0rQQZHP0mP647tXx-2Fm5LZKKJhKHR3ONCg0ixBBLr7goa-2BAQnwcXiaVgbg3fvEPu6wxm0A3hMjvoZhbP86tE70qfQo62ciIOJ4qSPMpt9Dz-2FxtQHWuNSalf6-2FuC1eorH12BWh7osYm4PyU345-2Beg1b2-2Bd1eq2vHEq7anjEWS9UQHflQ-3D-3D>,
especially of young Native Hawaiian girls every year. In 2022, a former US
Naval petty officer was sentenced to 20 years in prison
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BC6bQfVPeFRp1-2B6asJonrRu19Od822jb8OievAGMPFRcyTAJyBs8ciGWtWY9qV9pjP-2FVeZUhL6N7Kif0yVeAY1J2OFB-2FyrDlCFmzdiBQNHBBUegJxsA9DxvMHaWdkxVUFQ-3D-3Dp8rS_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3ABse8a-2B7nOY50j2KIcd1sCld25nssFe-2BNUMHXgT3ZyHcpVY8pPwjKlKaWRaOTzNhKPN5szNCOIFrtsGO1Tfvn1LP60-2FjWMtF3oXpPcAkrhHv7e8d8BQjRUfy3Sls-2FkavtPfd7ziGI6qQFlUT0yCuIev1AewbdiDEdo2DrqfdHSNLrxD8kVnwXq3OXTlI3uaDlM9Lq-2Fzrwkr2VNzfec5VR5g-3D-3D>
for the sex trafficking of Native Hawaiian girls
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BC6bQfVPeFRp1-2B6asJonrRu19Od822jb8OievAGMPFRcyTAJyBs8ciGWtWY9qV9pjP-2FVeZUhL6N7Kif0yVeAY1J2OFB-2FyrDlCFmzdiBQNHBBUegJxsA9DxvMHaWdkxVUFQ-3D-3D8TQU_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3AVmMJpNhFSGFSzbViBmOO2rnG2rOoSoHbhOEMTZiyP8ws1IlnvCim-2BEOA3QCSMZYxgG1-2Bf1K4NSZK1FhSoY-2Fl-2F-2BS6aYwKm69BoiaeDifKDGTrQSTYFZa00qGT64zv3NlNBl3hhzzP4QagPtZq4umwD0fWRaTnTt2IJia7f98fiAofr26k4AEMnRKz4KXfLDH-2FP2gGrEz1TtBAL1NCHNkVjw-3D-3D>.
The influx of more than 25,000 international military personnel into
Hawaiʻi ensures a constant market for the exploitation of women and gender
non-conforming people.
*RIMPAC exposes enduring US military dominance*

This year’s exercises are notable given the current geopolitical context.
RIMPAC is taking place amid the ninth month of Israel’s genocidal war in
Gaza. This war has isolated the US and its junior partner Israel and united
much of the world in the demand for a ceasefire and in opposition to the
West’s murderous violence against Palestinians and oppressed people across
the world.

However, some of the voices that have been strongest on the world stage in
condemning Israel and the US today have sent their Armed Forces to
participate alongside the US and Israel in RIMPAC. Countries such as
Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, and Indonesia, are participating,
and have either closed their Israeli embassies or publicly renounced Israel
for its ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. While the mood in the
Global South is one of challenging Western dominance and hypocrisy,
challenging US military supremacy as its bloc leads spending at 74.3 percent
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BJlOx5QUU4YyPu8VaDJg6oFIUd2ehFnD956EoaOdlERkOK2vqd3LtrVdfSJklOF4CgZKWfQQuQ3tOIB946Im6asG08-2FzcmCfWEiFUlrP7DFxpWZy_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3A3JpJtfBiU4IhuUBVpWTSf0g96j5T7wQlHpeVHc3aRi9unXwTUrbt-2FEniRbiFC1mWUS9o-2FN-2BBD1plsCpoSaellBfjofu6qJxWrvOUo9-2F2avrPDW57-2BvhmT-2BQB3jGOxGb7bxSKNek6MSI4bb99HJpRUANnLMaq4oXXfnSQoDPE5yyn5RCUPq1J9bCLFlKJ0NFtLpRGvhgCSzfJtGNQP1OKVQ-3D-3D>,
proves to be harder.

Yet, these war games are not mere pastimes and excursions, they are a
declaration of national values and a statement of political intention. The
strategies and tactics, weapons and technologies practiced and mastered at
RIMPAC are utilized by participant nations for weaponization at home. Be it
for the worst form of atrocities such as genocide or repression of any form
of resistance to the state, or to control “free trade” routes to ensure
capital continues to move for the benefit of the international capitalist
elite. In other words, RIMPAC trains governments that have a long history
of developing repressive techniques to control their colonies and are now
deploying those same techniques on its citizens. As with all imperialist
activities, it is up to the social and people’s movements of the respective
impacted nations to take a stand and reject this continuous arming and
military expansion of our collective oppressors.

The Hawaiian people stand arm in arm with the peoples of the world to
demand an end to these war games and to sharpen our fight against US
imperialism and colonialism, which today is the biggest threat to the
survival of our planet—especially those of us from island nations in the
“strategic” Pacific. It is people’s movements who will mobilize to remind
the governments of those participating nations that they must withdraw from
this exercise, end their collaboration with the Israeli Occupation Forces,
and stand firm upon their declarations at the United Nations and other
various forums. Together we can build a better world.

*Kawenaʻulaokalā Kapahua is a community organizer with Hui Aloha ʻĀina,
Honolulu branch, a leading Hawaiian independence organization. He is based
out of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, is a PhD student of Political Science at the
University of Hawaiʻi and is also a labor organizer.*

*Joy Lehuanani Enomoto is a community organizer, Pacific Islands Studies
scholar, and artist who lives in Honolulu, HI. She is currently the
Executive Director of the demilitarization organization, Hawaiʻi Peace &
Justice, and the vice president of the Hawaiian sovereignty organization,
Hui Aloha ʻĀina o Honolulu.*

*This article was produced by Globetrotter
<https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BP-2FIDw7VNntrTNQwOxWf7z0UZvPHm9O11yfTv1AExSc4Wj2F_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3A0EEBWXBcqQT2Ys9ETIaaFHQzWme3HaP7zMZjVcTbk4HSFLatY-2BClks9rAJ9j4no5lIXLGrm-2FZfE18kpmwQtwiFEeK92gD0W2NJVjmFvAfBDq3AhkGVgCvo0e95KBDsEmRbrYVNdDIXrM-2BgIyK7OmAIWc-2BXTmQ-2Bv9-2FIiQiKXfUAajptYSVGJHaQQeNyeLWPo3y83SXmhs5bORXc3z0Y1QJA-3D-3D>.*
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