The positive military spending news just got better.  The controversial Stryker Brigade is set to stay in Hawaii permanently.

The Army in 2001 decided to base a Stryker unit in Hawai’i, and started more than $700 million in construction projects, but in 2006 a federal appeals court ruled that the service had not adequately examined alternative locations, and ordered the Army to do so.

The decision largely halted one of the biggest Army projects in the Isles since World War II.

Bases in Alaska and Colorado were considered before the Army in February said Hawai’i was the “preferred” location; yesterday’s announcement made the decision permanent.

If and when the Stryker projects go forward, previous contracts would be continued, and could run for years, the Army said.

“Obviously, with other recent newsworthy happenings here on the island, an infusion of a lot of construction projects would not be a bad thing,” Shanks said, referring to job losses like those at Aloha Airlines. “And the stability of forces, soldiers and their families living (here) contributing economically to the Islands has got to be a positive influence here.”