As he wraps up Hawaii trip, Defense Secretary says closing Red Hill is ‘the right thing to do’

TL;DR - As he wraps up a Hawaii visit, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin toured the Red Hill fuel tanks facility Friday and met with families impacted by the Navy’s water contamination crisis.

But the military isn’t saying much about the sit-downs.

Austin was with commanders from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Navy Region Hawaii. He also met with the new commander of the Joint Task Force in charge of defueling the Red Hill tanks, Rear Admiral John Wade.

Austin appeared to have also met with five service members. In a tweet Friday evening, Austin said “defueling and closing Red Hill is the right thing to do.”

September 30, 2022: As he wraps up Hawaii trip, Defense Secretary says closing Red Hill is ‘the right thing to do’, Hawaiʻi News Now

September 30, 2022: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Hawaiʻi amid distrust after Red Hill fuel spill, Hawaiʻi Public Radio

September 30, 2022: US defense chief in Hawaii amid distrust after fuel spill, Washington Post