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Joint Task Force Red-Hill (JTF-RH) Strategic Engagement Director, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Lance Okamura, engages with attendees of the Davis Democracy Initiative at Punahou School, Honolulu, Hawaii, Dec. 6, 2023. The Davis Democracy Initiative is a Punahou School program established to promote civic engagement and public service among the youth of Hawaii. The gathering provided a platform for a transparent dialogue on the progress of defueling the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF), highlighting the cooperative efforts between the military and water suppliers in adopting strategies to protect the aquifer. JTF-RH is in the fifth and final phase of its defueling plan, where JTF-RH along with Defense Logistics Agency Energy and Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor, are safely defueling the RHBFSF. This stage saw the removal of more than 99.5 percent of fuel, with planned strategic pauses for safety checks, and transporting the fuel to various locations throughout the Pacific. Phase 5 defueling continues with JTF-RH removing the flowable tank bottoms, unpacking the fuel pipelines, and removing residual fuel located in the surge lines and portions of the tank gallery. JTF-RH is expected to empty the tank bottoms by Dec. 8, and will complete its defueling mission at the end of Phase 5, projected to end no later than March 31, 2024. (DoD photo by U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Gabrielle Zagorski)