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<a class="gmail-domain gmail-reader-domain" href="https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/07/13/us-war-games-in-pacific-seek-global-participation-in-imperialist-maneuvers/">peoplesdispatch.org</a>
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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">US war games in Pacific seek global participation in imperialist maneuvers<br></h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Kawenaʻulaokalā Kapahua, Joy Lehuanani Enomoto</div>
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<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time" dir="ltr">July 13, 2024<br></div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><img src="cid:ii_lykg4b4g0" alt="Hawaii-rimpac-2-2048x1152.jpg" width="408" height="230"><br><p>USS Carl Vinson in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Photo: US Navy
</p><div>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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<a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BAlC-2Brm9nxwd2DFyLMwy2Vge-2BI96VvFkxafdQdhJ-2Fj8t8xkXL8jtWligCJdefQiHV4ZazqhubnLPce1kJ5I-2FjjPM2UNMSAmiWfW7TjOuK9NrxxYd_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3AwQiYFATxFF1kpugowEpkK9nAsTfH0QU0QOcHutC28daWYqAR0yxzGejWkN9kzQrPDGIXgDSQ6I5gGuDgTL7eB0TfMAzjkO4Gjcg0PTzR8tLj-2FDoMArJndbbgkoygeyatB1cf1vlainD3N3Pu6FV1yKGmpbz-2B1NDylbtC3bzjvvZHMeLCw-2FlVgPelLmC4S8wLKhMEazLFzEcuEaZw13sH6w-3D-3D"> detonated a bomb on the Kaho’olawe</a> the equivalent of 500 tons of dynamite, breaking the island’s water table and carpeting the island with unexploded ordinances.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<h3><b>US militarism destroys our land through RIMPAC</b></h3>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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<a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BAwp1iFvX-2FceZEZzhMU-2FPzwoaLOHuB-2FO84LYWT-2B4OLy7Z0ybH5IuQvtTnlPnKk1jxw-3D-3DkF3t_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3AuLeZMlxC-2FnYTZ2LPxHgBOJyt2ZMomOqBOv9rF88OfOpIlDvUfkOfcC1flUq59aSYFr6Gw70pN0udzgmYNf2XnEYCfDTvSMXGInpnOu5E6awzMAbFhclJnaNLRgPkGEvfQpVrDGA3sGa5LNttTmr1f3a3-2F4EhFCVCjXX1Xex5SdarlSuauHhnR9M5QMSdwtiiknikUK676n0PE4XF4xaY5w-3D-3D"> forever chemicals</a>.
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.</p>
<p>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<a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BN-2B8y3WrStvRfgjR1SZmefI9BaCcepiWvCOBLjG8B4zkzRXY8LSv8iw3HVKf4qs94w-3D-3DILGv_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3AvycZtTRYIgFothOJvfCIWqb-2FeJczE7B835poympDVHmBMfJDj7JuhjPJyohr3lgKuwIYWmjvZgIXZovY1gHeCXCLwHtzNuU2ZYoZHhrBlzpdEHnpfbgYCPWk-2FJI4tMqaoAfkzEs8jqreSKgxElFgDJyjoco7CrE4mtQtJxZIEk4fXNJDXKJYvt-2FbAh6z8LCEqeqRqOBNYJVNm6E-2BmCasgA-3D-3D"> mass beachings to escape naval sonar</a>, multiple helicopters and planes have<a href="https://u36605228.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.irwnA1ZB8N-2BHNL3jUmYY-2BLSxGWnSEGYwvdjJKcIbhsv97YImPHEPIjeqV-2Bt9sSoQjudyGFkUv1fInT1OhQWG-2FobBxqbNPakI66Tem7NzG1LwwDuRELEnD-2BELyPmC9luREZEh8l1EymOKLySFfsMkSQ-3D-3DMfVJ_BPnWrESgs2YeQG63Rip-2F4JnnTQYbKm7SiPtzCSQ9uiolSN1ujXVtEveoAnPaoCgJjDx9qDTrIm0y9yilYej-2FgBzASelyn5Kd11nf2Pbj2jwm6QTpGv19X1BubhZGdrB7zp2YAB1eB4JNeIA3rk2ldmoXPoC66wbJ2eaV9Fu4NPEqepavLpdHOVkVWpTfYe9LJcTKZccNAKGemjgH3gJBGcmsE4a-2BUPdHBLJ6ElmkW6R3D7DDXaDEq-2FXY8qiVq3nEvxPMXR-2Fsud8pmtdnDNeS-2FlumtzlO5A8oEWGd5Zqyj9rGSWFeAyHrmMKn7HVc8kQX8jYZG3WHcDfVaiIr-2FdLh-2F6Jwv-2BmWSKduEE7hK95qqN1LeKdjxPJ8EIfNekS0rJ9jiZ9F3IBRPPLdjYV9m4TukMvNyAl2RCJwusPQu-2FhNhT6ffxqvNKQFR3U12EietXVFI0qvn3Jr-2FIAtaPwKe-2BqHB6KDRnD6ndu4MeEspByy4Zgm0FTz5QMbsUDOF4ubx01nFaApEJJTvrM9erPpBpuibFTdrlS0cgcgb1hE85NMygqCxoSj-2BOnMXCYQO0-2FguaKlfHWUot0bOlcurceWdZRGFJo22l-2Bb4X5okgYjS-2FqiImbmEkjpAO6t97zguJyeryh39Iy-2B3AfNEvbmWP8reMxOJ1Vgba2tuHdocplq3oTRoKAOU8oUre4gvRqUs0UcNq3Aqes3s9oCse6jHxC1WKEOFoRWlXHoZptOgXAt4RPwxaQOb3QIUyvefdXLgvCO6QdPv-2BnMNzeruSEL-2FkTj3mva8FiZ0w8YeoZPPmBabNesGZ6UEB2BZdP1A4V2kbUyio1e4bKvR6KOIt7kqPCwz7Ps7Of9WOUynAS7OB1Rg0C1I3xkjZEgcw-2BtZWu90-2Fg6vp-2Bdr-2Fyqb-2BmTC7teCk8iqkZ0Kg-3D-3D"> crashed onto our beaches and ocean</a>, and sea turtles<a href="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"> lose access to their traditional nesting grounds</a>
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.</p>
<h3><b>RIMPAC: Exporting violence</b></h3>
<p>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<a href="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"> pretend invasion of North Korea</a>,
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<a href="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"> expand power</a>
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.</p>
<p>RIMPAC also brings with it a significant increase in gender-based violence. Studies have shown a significant<a href="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"> leap in human trafficking and sexual exploitation</a>, especially of young Native Hawaiian girls every year. In 2022, a former US Naval petty officer was<a href="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"> sentenced to 20 years in prison</a> for the<a href="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"> sex trafficking of Native Hawaiian girls</a>.
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.</p>
<h3><b>RIMPAC exposes enduring US military dominance</b></h3>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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<a href="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"> US military supremacy as its bloc leads spending at 74.3 percent</a>, proves to be harder.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><em><b>Kawenaʻulaokalā Kapahua</b> 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.</em></p>
<p><em><b>Joy Lehuanani Enomoto</b> 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.</em></p>
<p><em>This article was produced by<a href="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"> Globetrotter</a>.</em></p>
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