Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, who has served as head of the state Department of Defense since 2019, will step down from his position and retire from the military this fall after 40 years of military service.

Over the course of his military career, he deployed three times to the Middle East and was involved in responding to floods and volcanic eruptions in Hawaii. In his role as commander of Hawaii’s National Guard and director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, he served as overall incident commander for the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response from 2020 to 2023 and has been incident commander for the Maui wildfire response since August.

In a statement announcing Hara’s retirement, Gov. Josh Green said that “throughout his entire career, Maj. Gen. Hara led by example, providing a steady hand through some of the most challenging times in the history of our state and nation. I can say with confidence that the state of Hawaii is better because of Maj. Gen. Hara’s dedicated service, commitment, and sacrifices. I wish him all the best in retirement.”

Green has selected Hara’s deputy, Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan, commander of the Hawaii Army National Guard, to succeed him.

“I could not be more thrilled that he is leaving the Hawaii National Guard under the exceptional leadership of Brig. Gen. Stephen Logan,” said Green. “He is a key component of the Hawaii National Guard’s success and his appointment as Adjutant General marks another historic milestone in a storied military career.”

Logan’s appointment requires confirmation from the state Senate. If approved, Logan will oversee daily operations for the Hawaii Army National Guard, Hawaii Air National Guard, HIEMA and state Office of Veterans Services. He would lead approximately 5,600 Army and Air National Guard service members, who include approximately 2,100 full-time federal and state employees.

According to the governor’s office, the National Guard will hold a change of command ceremony Oct. 1, and Hara will officially retire Nov. 1.

“I am grateful and proud to have served with the extraordinary members of the state of Hawaii, Department of Defense, who accomplished every assigned state and federal mission during extremely challenging times,” said Hara. “And I have full faith and confidence in Brig. Gen. Steve Logan and know that he will successfully lead the department into the future.”

Logan grew up on Oahu and enlisted as an infantryman in the Hawaii National Guard during his senior year in high school. As a civilian he was a member of the Honolulu Police Department and retired as a metropolitan police lieutenant in 2004. During his service he commissioned as an Army officer, went to flight school, flew various military aircraft for almost 30 years and saw combat while deployed in Afghanistan.

He has commanded the Hawaii Army National Guard since October 2021 and most recently served as commander of the Hawaii National Guard’s Joint Task Force 50 as part of the Maui wildfire response.

“I’m truly honored and humbled to be selected as the Adjutant General for the state of Hawaii, and extremely proud to be a member of Governor Green’s Cabinet,” said Logan. “I also want to thank the dedicated efforts of the many great leaders who’ve held this post before me, most notably Maj. Gen. Hara for his decisive leadership through these challenging times.”