Navy Region Hawaii Admiral: ‘We have to be out in the community’ to rebuild trust

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Navy Region Hawaii commander Rear Admiral Stephen Barnett addressed the Red Hill crisis in an interview, saying the administration is trying to rebuild trust with the community.

Barnett is not new to Hawaii — he led a squadron out of Kaneohe on hundreds of missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He’s hit the ground running since becoming Navy Region Hawaii commander some 8 months ago, inheriting a command facing backlash for its handling of the Red Hill fuel spill.

“This is my third tour as a Navy region commander, first tour was in Washington State, second tour was in San Diego, this is my third tour out here,” Barnett said.

He’s working with Vice Admiral John Wade’s Joint Task Force Red Hill to remove more than 100 million gallons of fuel that continue to threaten Oahu’s critical aquifer.

“We have to be out in the community, we have to build that trust. Yes, we have some things that we need to do to show that we’re trustworthy, but we’re out there in the community, whether it’s me from my end, Navy Region Hawaii, or the Joint Task Force, that’s actually Admiral Wade meeting and doing things. So we have some work to do. But I feel confident that with my staff, his staff and with this great community that we can get there,” Barnett said.

How long that’ll take is anyone’s guess — but Barnett and other top brass will have to answer to families and lawmakers.

“The lack of trust for the military spills over to just about every other force, not just the Navy, Air Force, the Army all of that,” said U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Readiness & Management Support this session.

“We have to stay on top of things and I’ve told the military their presence here is really important to our economy and we want to be as supportive as we can I certainly want to be but at the same time, I want to make sure that they are doing the right thing for our state and community.”

And while environmental advocates demand faster action and more transparency, Barnett says repairing the broken relationship will take time.

Barnett is one of less than a dozen African American admirals in the U.S. Navy. Watch the video below to learn more about his reflections on Black History Month.

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