The sun and surf that help make Hawaii paradise also make us forget sometimes the precarious position of being America’s Pacific outpost. Sitting vulnerable in the middle of the ocean, is that Kim Jung Un’s saber-rattling we hear?

Even before the Obama administration’s proclaimed “pivot to Asia,” the U.S. military has long been a major player in modern Hawaii. Now comes word that the Pentagon is studying further militarization: possibly switching the missile system and launching site on Kauai from testing to operational mode. The idea would be to provide an added layer of ballistic missile defense for Hawaii, by beefing up capabilities at the testing facility at Barking Sands. The study is due by August, so expect a lot more discussion then.