STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1435

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                   

 

RE:     GOV. MSG. NO. 509

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 509, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of: 

 

Adjutant General, Department of Defense

 

G.M. No. 509

KENNETH HARA,

for a term to expire at noon on 12-07-2026,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by Kenneth S. Hara for service as the Adjutant General of the Department of Defense.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the appointment of Major General Kenneth Hara from the Governor, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Public Safety, Office of Enterprise Technology Services, Department of Budget and Finance, Department of Taxation, Department of Education, Department of Transportation, Department of Agriculture, Department of Human Services, Department of Health, Hawaii Paroling Authority, Department of Defense, Department of Budget and Finance, Hawai‘i Office of Homeland Security, Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Hawai‘i State Fusion Center, Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, Maui Emergency Management Agency, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Hawaii Military Affairs Council, Hawai‘i Lodging and Tourism Association, and twenty-four individuals.

 

     Upon review of the testimony, your Committee finds that Major General Hara's experience, background, and knowledge of military and emergency management qualify him for appointment as the Adjutant General of the Department of Defense.  Major General Hara has a career with the Hawaii National Guard spanning over thirty-eight years and has served as Adjutant General of the Department of Defense since 2019, where he oversaw the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Office of Homeland Security, and training and readiness of the 5,500 soldiers and airmen of the Hawaii National Guard.  Major General Hara has a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Human Services from Hawaii Pacific University.  He also previously served as the Deputy Adjutant General of the Department of Defense; Chief of the Joint Staff of the Hawaii National Guard; Commander and Deputy Commander of the Twenty-Ninth Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Hawaii Army National Guard; Deputy G3 of the Hawaii Army National Guard; and Battalion Commander of the First Squadron, Two Hundred Ninety-Ninth Cavalry and Second Battalion, Two Hundred Ninety-Ninth Infantry.

 

     Your Committee finds that, over the course of Major General Hara's career with the Hawaii National Guard, he has commanded at every level.  His military experience and leadership includes combat deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, where he demonstrated his ability to defend the nation and its national interests.  Additionally, Major General Hara has received numerous awards and decorations, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and Hawaii National Guard Association Field Grade Officer of the Year.

 

     Your Committee further finds that, as Adjutant General and Deputy Adjutant General, Major General Hara led departmental initiatives related to natural disasters, including overseeing disaster response efforts with federal, state, county, and private partners across the State, and helped to maintain the State's force structures.  Your Committee notes that Major General Hara was instrumental in the State's response to and recovery from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and served as the State's Incident Commander for the COVID-19 pandemic.  As the Incident Commander, Major General Hara collaborated with a wide variety of stakeholders and government officials to safeguard the State's residents and visitors and organized and executed over $100,000,000 of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) funding to provide protective equipment, contact tracing, isolation, and sanitization capabilities to the State.  Major General Hara was also designated as the Dual Status Commander for the 2018 Kilauea lava flow that threatened numerous lives and left a path of devastating destruction for many, as well as for Hurricane Lane that posed an immeasurable threat to the State that same year.  As Dual Status Commander, he was afforded command authority over active duty forces, which is a testament to the confidence and regard the leadership of the United States Indo-Pacific Command has in his abilities.  Your Committee, therefore, finds that Major General Hara has been an effective leader and has clearly demonstrated the capacity, technical knowledge, and leadership necessary to ensure the safety and security of Hawaii's people as the Adjutant General of the Department of Defense.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

 

 

 

____________________________

GLENN WAKAI, Chair