Each year, the month of May is nationally recognized as Military Appreciation Month. In Hawaii, it’s a special time for us to recognize and say mahalo to more than 50,000 active military personnel across the state and 100,000 veterans who call our islands home.

As local residents, we often forget the importance of the military to our community. Earlier this month, we saw how the Hawaii National Guard was activated to help our neighbors on Hawaii island. More than 100 members of the Guard were in Puna to help protect the health and safety of residents and property, as Kilauea’s eruptions intensified. They are always there when we need them.

From a defense standpoint, there’s a strong military presence in the state due to Hawaii’s strategic location in the middle of the Pacific.

The Asia-Pacific region is home to some of our strongest allies and other major nations, such as China, North Korea and Russia that require a great deal of strategic focus.

It is imperative that the U.S. continues to demonstrate its resolve and commitment to the stability of the region.

From an economic standpoint, with approximately $2 billion spent on defense contracts in the islands each year, as well as personnel and day-to-day operational expenses, the defense industry continues to be Hawaii’s second-largest economic driver at approximately $7.8 billion annually. There are more than 100,000 jobs for local residents and hundreds of local businesses benefitting from military spending and defense contracts.

The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is the largest industrial employer in Hawaii with just under 6,000 employees. To keep up with the increasing workload associated with the homeporting of Virginia-class submarines, the shipyard anticipates significant construction upgrades, as well as the need for 800 to 1,000 more employees over the next four years.

There are also many other opportunities for job growth in the state in the area of cyber security and missile defense. For example, the Missile Defense Agency, in consultation with PACOM (U.S. Pacific Command), is moving forward to place a homeland radar in Hawaii as a further measure of protection against those who would like to do us harm. More than $120 million was included in the recently enacted 2018 omnibus funding measure to begin the study, planning and review process.

When development in Oahu’s urban core begins to slow and the Honolulu rail project comes to a close, it is likely that Hawaii’s next significant public works project in the next 20 to 30 years will be funded by defense dollars.

Beyond economics, school programs targeted at ensuring academic success for military students transitioning to Hawaii are improving the educational experience for local students. For many years, Radford and Leilehua high schools have benefitted from utilizing transition center programs. With the guidance of advisers, such programs are led by students to help transitioning students, whether they are arriving from another state or a neighbor island, acclimate to life in a new school.

The Hawaii Department of Education, in partnership with Hawaii 3Rs, has committed a million dollars to the development of these programs. While these programs began by targeting military dependents, the transition centers are being used as a model for supporting homeless and English Language Learner students in communities across the state.

There are so many great things the military does for our community that goes completely unnoticed. Those families that live here are also part of the fabric of our communities. They are parents, soccer coaches, community volunteers and in many cases, our neighbors.

During Military Appreciation Month, please join in reflecting on the sacrifices the military service men and women, past and present, make to our community and country. Make it a point to stop and stay mahalo to member of our military or a veteran.

David Carey is chairman of the Hawaii Military Affairs Council (MAC), part of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii.