As the dry season is upon us, the state of Hawaiʻi is taking proactive measures to safeguard local communities from the threat of wildfires. Under an Emergency Proclamation signed by Governor Green, the state has a fully funded plan to launch Operation Hoʻopauahi 2026. Translated as "to extinguish fire," Operation Hoʻopauahi represents a coordinated protection strategy designed to suppress wildfires before they can escalate into major disasters.

The key to the operation's success is a dedicated standby posture that enables the Hawaiʻi National Guard (HING) to maintain a one-hour response time when called. This ensures that military aviation assets can rapidly deploy to support county first responders upon dispatch by the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency.

HING has pre-staged tactical aircraft with 2,000 and 400-gallon BAMBI buckets (used to conduct water drop fire suppression missions). This includes a heavy-lift CH-47F Chinook helicopter stationed on Oʻahu, alongside two HH-60M Blackhawk helicopters, one on Oʻahu and another in Hilo. In addition to their massive water-drop capabilities, these helicopters are equipped to perform emergency personnel evacuations if required.

This year's initiative builds upon the remarkable success of the 2025 Operation Hoʻopauahi. Last year, HING aircrews logged more than 105 flight hours and dropped 283,908 gallons of water to suppress four major wildfires, including the Mānā Road, Kunia Road and Kaʻala fires.

Operation Hoʻopauahi ensures that HING remains "Always Ready, Always There" to protect the state's people, property and ʻāina.

To learn more, visit https://dod.hawaii.gov/blog/operation-ho%ca%bbopauahi/ .