University of Hawaii might get Navy ROTC program

The stars may be aligning for the University of Hawaii to offer a Navy ROTC program for the first time in its history.

Approximately $1.5 million was included in the 2019 Navy budget — but hasn’t been released yet — for the start of the effort, UH officials said.

The university concurrently has an application in to the Navy for the Reserve Officer Training Corps program, which could include 125 or more students.

“We are confident that the Navy will approve our application,” said Vassilis Syrmos, vice president for research and innovation for the UH system.

Syrmos said the university expects to hear back from the Navy over the summer, with the program conceivably starting up next year.

“Cross our fingers (but) we think it’s very likely,” he said. He added that the addition would be a “great thing” for the university.

“It’s a great thing for the state, it’s a great thing for the (Defense Department) and the Navy,” he said.

The Army has had an ROTC program at UH since the 1920s. It was the only unit to be called to active duty and serve in World War II when its cadets were made a part of the Hawaii Territorial Guard after the Dec. 7, 1941, attack and assisted in guarding facilities around Oahu.

An Air Force ROTC program came later. ROTC programs train students to become commissioned officers.

Ron Cambra, assistant vice chancellor for undergraduate education, said UH has “always been interested in Navy because of the obvious Pearl Harbor (connection) and the history in the islands. It’s just that Navy’s perception has been that they already had enough NROTC programs spread throughout the country.”

Despite that, about every three years, “almost like clockwork,” Cambra would get a call from a Navy lieutenant commander on island calling on behalf of a new admiral at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command or U.S. Pacific Fleet asking why UH didn’t have a Navy ROTC program.

“I had this conversation for nine to 12 years,” Cambra said, adding that there wasn’t much interest — then — when the question got back to Navy ROTC planners.

But “things have changed a little bit from where we were three to four years ago, obviously, and Hawaii is right in the middle of it,” Cambra said.

The Navy is growing, planning to add 5,000 or more sailors a year and trying to reach a 355-ship goal from 289 today.

UH President David Lassner has since had conversations with the Navy, and “there’s been a lot of interest” from U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz’s office, he said.

The Army has received national recognition for its ROTC program several years running, and the Air Force effort has been rated “outstanding,” according to Cambra.

A Navy website said its ROTC program was established in 1926 and is now available at more than 160 colleges and universities that either host Navy ROTC units or have crosstown enrollment agreements with a host university.

The Marine Corps entered the Navy ROTC program in 1932.

Cambra said the UH Army ROTC program has fewer than 200 cadets, while the Air Force program has about 75 to 80. He said the Navy program could have a number somewhere in between — but that would be up to the Navy.

The university would need to renovate some buildings for Navy use and envisions an upgraded ROTC campus if defense funding comes through.

Syrmos said it was “probably one of the highest priorities” for Lassner to create a Navy ROTC at school.

The programs come with scholarship money, and the military pays for teachers, Cambra noted.

Mike Tsai is on leave. His Incidental Lives column will resume when he returns.