A federal judge yesterday rejected the Army's bid to resume live-fire training at Makua Valley for soldiers scheduled to be sent to Iraq this summer.

U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway characterized the Army's warnings that casualties will increase without the training as "vehement pronouncements and speculation."

She said the Army has alternative training sites and Army officials have not shown that the training will be adequate only if it can be done with live fire in the 4,190-acre valley.

The judge said the Army must abide by federal laws requiring Army officials to complete an environmental study on the impact of the exercises on endangered species and Native Hawaiian cultural sites before troops can resume training there with live fire.