The U.S. military has played a prominent part in Hawai'i's history and economy for many years. Given their geographic position in the Pacific, it's hard to imagine the Islands without strategic importance to the armed forces and without a significant military presence.

The Army's announced buildup in Hawai'i and elsewhere is not surprising in itself: The Pacific Basin is home to the world's six largest armed forces, and mounting global security threats are driving a push by the Army to boost its total size by 74,000 troops within three years.

The Army has released its final environmental impact statement detailing the plans — including a boost of a total of 1,400 soldiers assigned to Fort Shafter and Schofield Barracks.

The changes at the individual bases don't sound that significant, but when they're considered cumulatively with anticipated increases in Marines' strength and in the context of a small, already crowded island, plans must be made to accommodate them.

That's why it's a little distressing that the EIS distribution list — those receiving copies of the document — did not include names of state education officials and others responsible for the infrastructure serving O'ahu's population. Although Hawai'i was a small part of the 707-page document, with most of the study focusing on changes on the Mainland, the report is still important in planning for any buildup in troops here.

This affords the Army a great opportunity to work closely with community, state and local leaders to ensure that communication is clear and ongoing.

The military has established ties with numerous community groups and local government agencies, and that should now be part of a discussion of how the growing military numbers will affect schools, housing and other public facilities. Plans must be put in place to see that civilian and military populations both can be accommodated adequately.

While it's true that the number of Hawai'i-based service men and women and dependents is well below its 1988 peak, the rest of the population has grown in the intervening 20 years. This is a different O'ahu than it was back then, and we're all feeling the strain.

The military undeniably is a bedrock element of the state's economy, certainly adding stability amid the ebb and flow of the tourism market. It's an element of the economy Hawai'i clearly needs.

But the community upheaval over volatile issues such as the Stryker brigade and the Superferry suggests that residents are sensitive to the carrying capacity of our island state. Civilian and military leaders need to work together with that in mind.