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HRS §121-7

Who can be the adjutant general and how they are chosen

This section says the adjutant general leads the state defense department and militia. The governor appoints them, and they can be removed as state law says. To qualify, a person must have been a colonel or higher for at least ten years and have no issues blocking promotion to general.

state agencies

The statute, as written — Adjutant general; appointment

(a) The adjutant general shall be the executive head of the department of defense and commanding general of the militia of the State. The adjutant general shall be appointed and be subject to removal as set forth in section 26-31. The adjutant general shall serve for the term as set forth in article V, section 6, of the Hawaii State Constitution. (b) No person shall be eligible for appointment as adjutant general unless the person: (1) Holds or has held a commission of the rank of colonel in the military grade of O6 or above, federally recognized as such, or its equivalent in the Army or Air national guard, state defense force, or in the Army or Air Force active component of the United States or a reserve component thereof and has served as a commissioned officer in one or more of the Army or Air Force components as listed herein for at least ten years; and (2) Has no administrative actions or items that would prevent promotion to the rank of a general officer in the military grade of O7 or O8, federally recognized as such.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.