Hawaii Needs Missile Defense Right Now

As long as Kim Jong Un is North Korea’s Supreme Leader, America, and specifically Hawaii, is at risk. North Korea has now developed an intercontinental ballistic missile and a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the U.S. through Hawaii.  That’s why immediate deployment of a missile defense system to Hawaii is essential.

The world is more dangerous than ever. Threats continue to grow across the globe, and our adversaries from North Korea to Iran continue to make progress in developing intercontinental missile technology and nuclear capabilities. While it is critical to protecting the entire U.S. homeland, there is no question that America’s 50^th State, because of its proximity to Asia and a large collection of military assets, is our nation’s most vulnerable to a strike.

As Congress prepares the National Defense Authorization Act and Defense Appropriations legislation, Washington can take a simple, important and dramatic step to protect America right now – deploy a missile defense system to Hawaii.

Missile defense is not cheap, but the need to protect Hawaii from North Korea’s nuclear threat vastly outweigh the costs. The THAAD System costs approximately $1.6 billion and can be brought online nearly immediately to protect Hawaii. The military has already placed an Aegis Ashore test system on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, but this test system is not operational.  It’s nice that we have a test system, but the system has no missiles and no capability to defend against a North Korean nuclear attack. 

Some suggest that rather than deploy the missile defense technology we have now, America should wait – including many of Hawaii’s current representatives in Washington.  They recommend our country continues to work on space-based defense systems and deploy a better technology sometime in the future.  While the U.S. should continue to research and develop the defense systems that will protect our country far into the future, Hawaii needs a missile defense system now. U.S. military commanders in Hawaii also agree that deployment of a missile defense system in Hawaii is needed immediately. 

Missile defense is a complicated issue, but ensuring the safety of the American people who live and serve in Hawaii is not.

Join me in urging Congress to appropriate the funds we need to make sure we deploy a missile defense system to Hawaii immediately.  The cost of anything less could be devastating.

Charles K. Djou is a former member of Congress where he represented Hawaii’s 1^st Congressional District and served on the House Armed Services Committee.  Djou is also a veteran who served with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.