U.S. Army Garrison Pōhakuloa Training Area to reap benefits from Department of Defense $90 million Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program grant

Photo By Amy Phillips | US Army Garrison Pōhakuloa Training Area Fire and Emergency Services responding to vehicle on Saddle Road. Courtesy photo.  

HI, UNITED STATES

09.30.2022

Story by Amy Phillips 

U.S. Army Garrison Pohakuloa Training Area

U.S. Army Garrison Pōhakuloa Training Area’s (PTA) fire response capability will be enhanced through the $2,485,308 Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program (DCIP) grant to the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) for the construction of a new firefighting and conservation warehouse to improve wildfire response and enable maintenance and repair of firefighting vehicles.

The DLNR has a long history partnering with military installations to achieve common goals and this project will have wide-ranging benefits for all agencies and enhance these partnerships. “The community is so important to us here at PTA and this grant is just another manifestation of that,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Cronin, PTA Commander. “PTA greatly appreciates the support it receives from the community and the robust relationships we have with DLNR. We’re always looking to grow and enhance those relationships.”

This grant will address priority threats to military training operations, protect life and property, and conserve Hawaii’s watersheds and rare native plants and wildlife. Rapid wildfire response and suppression is critical to minimizing impacts to training and base operations as well as protecting military personnel and families, civilians, their homes, and the native ecosystem.

In addition to keeping the installation safe, the PTA Fire Department has an approximately 500 square-mile response radius to support the surrounding Hawaii Island community. PTA has a long-standing partnership with community fire departments to keep the community safe.

The Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation awarded 19 grants on September 23 totaling approximately $90 million under the DCIP. The DCIP is a competitive program for states and communities to undertake infrastructure enhancements to support military value, installation resiliency, and/or family quality of life that benefits their local installations.

“The Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program is critical in delivering public infrastructure and services that not only benefit our local installations, but help to support our service members, their families, and the Department’s mission while building key partnerships and resiliency at the state and local level,” said Dr. William A. LaPlante, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

Also on September 23, Mr. Ivan Bolden, the Army Partnership Program Chief, visited PTA to get a better understanding of its mission and capabilities, reviewed existing partnerships and discussed potential Intergovernmental Support Agreements (IGSA) and future potential DCIP grants to enhance services to the installation, its customers, and community.

For more information about the Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program, visit this website: https://oldcc.gov/defense-community-infrastructure-program-dcip

Original DoD press release: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3168935/department-of-defense-approves-90-million-in-grants-under-defense-community-inf/

• Date Taken: 09.30.2022
• Date Posted: 09.30.2022 17:29
• Story ID: 430527
• Location: HI, US