Navy Secretary Richard Spencer has approved the creation of the first-ever Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Hawaii after many years of interest, U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz announced Wednesday.

“The long-awaited establishment of a Naval ROTC program at UH-Manoa underscores the Navy’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and represents a tangible step toward increasing the diversity of its officer corps,” Hirono said in a news release.

The new ROTC program will give more Hawaii students a chance at earning scholarships and gaining an education, Schatz said.

“We are grateful and proud that the Navy has selected UH-Manoa to host a new NROTC unit,” UH President David Lassner said. “We are already the home of exceptionally successful Army and Air Force ROTC units.”

ROTC programs train students to become commissioned officers. The establishment of a Navy ROTC unit will enable more Hawaii students to attend college affordably and serve their country, Lassner said.

Hirono and Schatz, both Hawaii Democrats, repeatedly encouraged the establishment of a Naval ROTC program at UH. Hirono in 2015 wrote letters to then-Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson seeking the program.

In April, UH officials told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that funding was included in the 2019 Navy budget — but hadn’t been released yet — for the start of the effort.

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 followed.