Navy Region Hawaii Commander Leaving Post

His exit is unrelated to the Red Hill fuel disaster, the Navy said.

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Navy Rear Adm. Tim Kott is moving on from his position as commander of Navy Region Hawaii after a year in the job.

Rear Admiral Timothy Kott commander of Navy Region Hawaii
Rear Admiral Timothy Kott, commander of Navy Region Hawaii, has been in the position for less than a year. Courtesy: U.S. Navy/2021

Kott took over in June 2021 and was in charge in November when a catastrophic pipeline leak released fuel into the drinking water of 93,000 Pearl Harbor water customers. However, his exit does not have to do with the water contamination crisis, according to the Navy.

His tenure was intended to be a one-year position and he is departing as planned, Navy spokesman Mike Andrews said.

“Summertime is move season,” Andrews said. “There are six different changes of command happening within the next few months, and most of them are one-year orders … It’s not uncommon.”

Rear Adm. Stephen Barnett will take command of Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific on June 17, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

To date, no one has been disciplined or fired for the leaks at Red Hill that contaminated the water, although Capt. Bert Hornyak was relieved of duty after a subsequent leak in April.

The investigation into the causes of the crisis, which is completed and “under review” at the Pentagon, has not yet been released to the public.

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