Defense leaders build on strong relations in Hawaii

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chris Vadnais
  • Air Force News Agency
HONOLULU (AFPN) --  Defense officials are working to make Hawaii a better place for military members and their families to live. 

Navy Adm. Timothy Keating, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, met here with Dr. David Chu, under secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, this week to discuss key issues.

Solid partnerships between the Department of Defense and state governments are critical to improving quality of life for military members and their families. One of the best relationships is in Hawaii, where some 40,000 members of the active duty, Reserve and Guard components live and work.

The DOD has identified 10 key issues of importance to military members and their families, including education policies and benefits, accessible support for military families, and spouse employment opportunities.

"Family issues are crucial to the willingness of our people to continue to serve," said Dr. Chu. "We so much appreciate what the Hawaii government is willing to do for us and what we hope they'll do for us again in the future."

One of the key issues is the interstate policy for educating children of military members. The mobile military lifestyle creates challenges for children, and the Defense Department wants to provide a policy platform to head those off.

For example, some school districts will allow children to start kindergarten at age 5, while others require children to be 6 years old to start school. If a child starts school in one location and the military family moves, he or she might not be able to go back to school at the new location.

"If the young lad or the young lady has already started school, why can't he or she keep going?" asked Dr. Chu. "Many school systems say, 'No, we've got to wait,' and that's a big issue with a military family."

"We'd like to get issues like these ironed out at a national level so military families can do the same thing every other American family can do," he said. 

Other issues include policies for members of the Reserve and Guard, unemployment compensation for military spouses, and responsive voting programs.

"Those issues affect the well-being of our families," said Dr. Chu. "We put a lot of burdens on military personnel. The family has to be well supported if they're going to accept those burdens."

Admiral Keating said healthy partnerships like the one between DOD and Hawaii are key to providing the best possible quality of life for military families.

"It is that communion between the community and the military members that will produce long-lasting effects," Admiral Keating said.

"It is a powerful tool for us here," he said. "The governor and the mayor have both promised me that they would pay close attention to any initiatives that I brought to their attention and they have followed through on that." 

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