When the Pentagon announced in February that it was defunding the $1.9 billion Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii, local activists celebrated it as a victory. But in June, the Senate Armed Services Committee added a full funding provision as it made its markup for the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.

James Rodrigues, a local activist with the group Malama Makua, said he felt blindsided when he learned the radar’s funding had been restored. He accused Hawaii’s congressional delegation of resurrecting a dead project.

The Pentagon zeroed out funding after challenges finding a location led to significant delays and cost increases and drafted a report to look at alternative options. Critics have argued the project would harm the environment and cultural sites — and might not even effectively protect Hawaii from modern missile threats…

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