Department of Transportation

LIHUE – The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) notifies the public that the United States Air Force will be conducting Patriot Palm 2019, which includes realistic training exercises, at Lihue Airport (LIH) on Wednesday, Jan. 23 through Monday, Jan. 28.

The purpose of the Patriot Palm exercise is to establish working relationships with local entities and familiarize those agencies of the available military capabilities. In the event of a natural disaster, the 452^nd Contingency Response Squadron based at March Air Reserve Base in Southern California, can help expedite the airlift of critical supplies and search and rescue teams into impacted areas.

During the exercise participants will be in military uniforms actively loading and unloading military aircraft with engines running. While the activities may appear realistic, the public is notified it is not an active emergency.

All commercial and general aviation flights and airport operations will continue as scheduled during the exercise.

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