His writing and photography have appeared in The Daily Beast, Foreign Policy Magazine, Playboy, The Nib, Coffee or Die Magazine, Vice and others. He is the co-author of the graphic novels Machete Squad and The 'Stan.'
Austin’s meetings and Paparo’s assumption of command of U.S. forces in the Pacific come at a time when several potential geopolitical flashpoints loom large as rival militaries face off across the region from India, the South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula. Read more
Water system experts testified Tuesday on the second day of a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. government that tests may have missed contamination in the critical early days of the Red Hill fuel crisis. Read more
The trial involves the first 17 plaintiffs claiming medical, emotional and financial injuries from the contamination. Another roughly 7,500 plaintiffs have joined other lawsuits also seeking compensation. Read more
The Navy also found that while there was a spike in doctors’ visits around the spill, involving a variety of symptoms ranging from rashes to intestinal problems, neurological issues and psychological symptoms, by the end of December the visits “returned to pre-release levels.” Read more
U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda joined community members Thursday in tours and meetings with officials at military sites on Oahu’s Leeward side. Read more
Since the March community meeting, several new documents have emerged that CRI members say raise serious questions. The absence of officials calls pledges of transparency into question, they say. Read more
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The report was prompted by a spill of 19,000 gallons of jet fuel from the Navy’s underground Red Hill facility that in November 2021 made its way into and tainted the Navy’s Oahu water system. Read more
Taiwan is seeking to increase the size of its military attache office at its de facto consulate in Honolulu as the self-ruled island democracy looks to tighten ties with the United States and bolster defenses against potential Chinese military attacks. Read more
In a letter to the U.S. Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in September, American Samoa’s Gov. Lemanu Mauga wrote that “fishing prohibitions not only weaken U.S. fisheries but also increase seafood imports and jeopardize U.S. food and national security.” Read more
The Army will be lighting controlled burns at its Schofield Barracks training range complex this week in an effort to prepare for and prevent potential wildfires as Hawaii’s rainy season dries up. Read more
The Coast Guard’s Honolulu-based “Indo-Pacific Support Cutter” CGC Harriet Lane returned to port Tuesday after its first patrol across Oceania. Read more
The United States and the Independent State of Samoa on Friday signed an addendum to an existing 2012 agreement to continue and expand cooperation to tackle transnational crime at sea, including a provision that essentially deputizes U.S. Coast Guard patrols to enforce Samoan regulations within the island nation’s territorial waters. Read more
On Thursday, the U.S. Pacific Fleet held a change of command ceremony at Pearl Harbor’s Kilo Pier as Adm. Samuel Paparo handed command to Adm. Steve Koehler. Read more
Lou Conter, the last survivor of the USS Arizona, died Monday morning at his home in Grass Valley, Calif., at the age of 102. Read more
According to a media release from Pacific Historic Parks, Conter died peacefully surrounded by his family. Read more
The U.S. and Australian militaries have conducted a successful missile intercept test off of Kauai. Read more
State and federal officials say that water tested at Hickam Elementary School for potential petroleum contamination is safe after an “unvalidated” test found high levels early this month. Read more
Two years after the Pentagon agreed it would remove fuel from its underground Red Hill fuel storage facility and shut it down, the military task force charged with removing fuel stored in the Navy’s underground Red Hill facility has officially concluded its mission. Read more
In early March the Navy notified the Environmental Protection Agency that it had detected “unvalidated test results” finding high levels of total petroleum |hydrocarbons, or TPH, in water samples taken from an on-base school and a home in the Aliamanu Military Reservation — both of which had their water systems flushed. Read more
In American Samoa, tuna is the lifeblood of the economy. Canned tuna accounts for 95.5% of all exports, and all of that tuna is canned at the StarKist Samoa cannery in Pago Pago. Read more
Meetings have often been contentious, with members of the Red Hill Community Representation Initiative and from the community frequently accusing officials of withholding information and dodging questions. Read more
