MCBH PRESS RELEASE

PU’ULOA RANGE TRAINING FACILITY – Elected officials representing Ewa Beach, to include members of their staff, visited Pu’uloa Range Training Facility (PRTF) on Monday, April 17, 2023, during an engagement with both military and civilian leadership of Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) to discuss the range’s training operations, recent facility changes, environmental stewardship efforts, and future initiatives to mitigate training noise impacts to the community neighboring PRTF. Honolulu City Councilmember Augusto Tulba and Hawaii State Representative Elijah Pierick, along with key staff members from the offices of U.S. Representative Ed Case and Hawaii State Representative Rose Martinez, received a tour of the military training facility led by MCBH’s Commanding Officer, Col. Speros C. Koumparakis. The engagement provided MCBH leadership the opportunity to showcase PRTF to the elected officials and allowed the elected officials to gain a better understanding of MCBH’s ongoing efforts to preserve the facility, eliminate areas of potential future munitions constituent migration, and mitigate future shoreline erosion along PRTF.

The visit also provided MCBH leadership the opportunity to discuss concerns from community members with elected officials regarding noise produced by the firearms training conducted at Pu’uloa. “MCBH is committed to ensuring that our range facility at Pu’uloa remains compatible with the community of Ewa Beach,” said Col. Speros C. Koumparakis, commanding officer, MCBH. “As a long-term part of this community, we have an important responsibility to take the impact our training has on our neighbors very seriously. We will continue to seek ways to minimize the noise produced by our training and work with the community and their elected lawmakers to identify areas where we can improve and implement meaningful solutions.”

The Marine Corps has operated PRTF in Ewa Beach since the early 1900s. As the only facility in the state capable of supporting the required Annual Rifle Qualification (ARQ) for the roughly 7,000 active duty Hawaii-based Marines, it is an essential part MCBH’s training resources. The training conducted at PRTF ensures the readiness of Marines, and other members of the Joint Force, to deploy at a moment’s notice to ensure the security of the nation and support partners and allies throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

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POINT OF CONTACT:

1stLt Mark McDonough

Communication Strategy and Operations Officer

Marine Corps Base Hawaii

(808) 257-1397

[email protected]