Malu Aina Board member’s letter to Cancel RIMPAC 2020
letter in Honolulu Star Advertiser April 1, 2020
With 14-day quarantine, RIMPAC should cancel
I am still waiting to hear from our nation’s military about a long-overdue cancellation of the 27th Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) war exercises planned from late June to early August in Hawaii and waters surrounding our islands. As of now, the world’s largest international military exercise promises to bring dozens of ships, hundreds of planes and thousands of troops from more than 20 nations.
Given the current COVID-19 crisis, with Hawaii’s mandated 14-day quarantine on travelers, I join with individuals and organizations locally and globally who are calling on military leaders to do the right thing and cancel RIMPAC 2020.
Locking down the populace while cranking up the war machine is inappropriate. If the international community can agree on putting a hold on the Olympic Games, so should the world’s military establishment cancel the war games. Let’s all work together for a healthier and more peaceful world.
Wally Inglis
Palolo Valley
