FORD ISLAND, Hawaii — Adm. Stephen Koehler, U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, promoted Rear Adm. (lower half) Brad Collins, Navy Region Hawaii commander, to the rank of Rear Adm. (upper half) during a ceremony, aboard the Battleship Missouri Memorial, Dec 23, 2025.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that President Donald Trump had nominated Collins for promotion, Sept. 5, and the official ceremony took place upon the famed decks of the Mighty Mo.
During the ceremony, Koehler and Collins’ wife, Kerry, removed Collin’s one-star flag officer shoulder boards and replaced them with the two-star shoulder boards worn by rear admiral (upper half).
Collins assumed command of Navy Region Hawaii, Aug 5, 2025, and as commander, he is responsible for an area of responsibility that extends across 34,000 acres of land and water, serving as the Hawaii regional coordinator for more than 40,000 military and government service personnel working at more than 270 shore-based commands located on Oahu and Kauai.
“It’s a great gift to be able to do this promotion on the Missouri,” said Collins. “It gives me no greater pleasure than to put on this second star, all while knowing I’m on the ship where the greatest generation marked the end of World War II because they had the resolve to fight for the ideals they believed in.”
Navy Region Hawaii oversees all shore-based operations, quality of life programs, and environmental stewardship to support the readiness of the fleet, warfighters and the U.S. Navy's mission in the Pacific.