HONOLULU (AP) — A private association of National Guard members plans to hold its annual conference in Honolulu this year, even though some officials at the Pentagon have questioned the wisdom of meeting in a vacation destination.

About 3,000 to 3,500 people are expected to attend the September convention, said John Goheen, a spokesman for the National Guard Association of the United States. That’s down from the 4,000 who attended last year’s meeting in Reno, Nev., a decline that’s primarily due to fewer defense contractors participating in the trade show part of the conference.