Pacific Islanders Ask U.S. Military to not Use Pagan Island for Target Practice

[The Straight Story]

An ecologically rich and diverse island in the Pacific is being threatened with destruction by the U.S. military, according to advocates trying to stop planned live-fire exercises.

The controversy centers on Pagan Island, part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), which is itself made up of 14 islands, three of which are inhabited (Saipan, Tinian and Rota). The CNMI was established in 1978 and is, for all intents and purposes, a colony of the United States.

American forces intend to occupy all of Pagan Island for live-fire training and military exercises. Such actions would disregard “the indigenous rights of Pagan Islanders,” and unleash “devastating environmental impacts,” according to the blog Save Pagan Island.

The island is said to be “one of the most biologically and geologically diverse islands in the archipelago,” where numerous threatened and endangered species reside, as do cows and pigs. It is known for its black sand beaches and active volcano.

http://www.allgov.com/news/us-and-the-world/pacific-islanders-ask-us-military-to-not-use-pagan-island-for-target-practice-130518?news=850056

[True Blue Door]

1. This illustrates one of the main strategic errors environmental activists commit.

It's always No, No, No - it's much rarer to hear "Do THIS instead."

The US military wants Pacific islands to train with, and its strategic arguments for that training are pretty strong. So suggest some alternative islands that meet the training requirements if the ones being targeted are too ecologically precious.