OHA Urges Native Hawaiian Consultation in Military Lease Renewals

Kaiali‘i Kahele, chair of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees, wrote to leaders of the congressional Armed Services Committee on November 18, 2025, urging stronger Native Hawaiian involvement in decisions about long term military leases on public lands in Hawai‘i. In the letter OHA asked that Section 2831, the federal authority that allows the government to acquire or lease lands used by the armed forces, be included in the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. The board requested a targeted amendment that would require formal consultation with OHA and Native Hawaiian organizations before any lease renewal, extension or land exchange.

The move comes as many leases dating back to the 1960s approach expiration. Those arrangements, often 65 year in length, were executed before contemporary cultural and environmental review processes were commonplace. OHA framed its request as seeking greater transparency, strengthened public trust, and a coordinated approach to lease negotiations between federal, state and Native Hawaiian stakeholders. Among the sites identified with expiring leases are the Pacific Missile Range Facility and the Kōkeʻe Park Geophysical Observatory on Kaua‘i.

For Kaua‘i residents the proposal touches on land use, cultural preservation and local oversight. Military installations have long shaped coastal and upland access, economic activity and environmental management on the island. Formal consultation requirements could lead to more structured opportunities for Native Hawaiian entities and county leaders to review potential environmental impacts, cultural resource concerns and terms of continued military presence. Those outcomes would affect recreational access, conservation efforts and the relationship between local communities and federal agencies.

At the national level the request highlights the intersection of defense planning and indigenous rights, as Congress prepares its annual defense authorization. How lawmakers respond will determine whether lease renewals proceed under existing procedures or move into a new framework that embeds consultation and transparency into negotiations. For Kaua‘i the stakes include both stewardship of culturally significant places and the island role in broader Pacific security activities.