Reserve Unit Helps Strengthen CNRH’s Hurricane Readiness
During this year’s devastating hurricane season, Afong and his unit helped strengthen the ROC’s ability to maintain situational awareness, coordinate across commands and departments, and support crisis response when severe weather threatened installations, infrastructure and personnel.
In April, Hurricane Exercise (HURREX) 2026 gave Afong and his Sailors an opportunity to better understand how the ROC integrates functions across Navy Region Hawaii during a major storm scenario, helping prepare the team to augment the Crisis Action Team during real-world events.
“HURREX showed us how the ROC integrates and synchronizes all the different departments in Navy Region Hawaii, such as public affairs, MWR, facilities, and port operations,” Afong said. “The team synchronizes all their activities to support the needs of the commander and to enable the installations ... to do their jobs.”
The ROC operates around the clock to maintain awareness and coordinate response across the region. During emergencies, Afong’s 23 Reserve Sailors support installation recovery efforts and help the region maintain command and control during rapidly changing conditions.
“The ROC reserve unit plays an integral part in our capability during any disaster activation, especially hurricanes,” said Navy Region Hawaii emergency manager Will Luna. “Because we can usually see hurricanes coming in advance, we often have the capability of activating Reserve Sailors before the storm hits.”
For Afong, the mission is both operational and personal. Born in Hawaii and raised in Waipio Gentry on Oahu, the Kamehameha Schools graduate now serves in the same region that first inspired him to join the Navy. As a child, he toured Navy ships at Pearl Harbor with his family – an experience that helped shape his decision to pursue naval service.
“It was my first time going on board a Navy warship,” he recalled. “I remember the officers and Sailors in their summer whites showing us the weapon systems and walking up to the bridge. I was impressed by their professionalism and friendly demeanor.”
After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2006, Afong served seven years on active duty, including assignments aboard USS Chosin (CG 65), USS O’Kane (DDG 77), and at the U.S. Air Force’s 613th Air Operations Center. He transitioned to the Navy Reserve in 2013 and later served with the U.S. 3rd Fleet Naval Air and Amphibious Liaison Element, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Amphibious Construction Battalion ONE, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and Military Sealift Command Pacific before assuming command in 2025 of the reserve unit supporting Navy Region Hawaii’s ROC.
Back home in Hawaii, Afong leads an all-reserve team whose civilian and military experience adds depth to the mission.
“Our varied civilian expertise is of value to the military,” he said. “A broad range of experience and expertise strengthens us.”
That blend of experience is especially important during hurricane preparation and response, when coordination, flexibility, and local understanding matter most. Afong said HURREX improved his understanding of the region’s critical capabilities and the actions needed to support installation safety and continuity during a storm.
“The way HURREX helped me is I was able to understand the critical facilities and the capabilities that exist in the region,” he said.
Afong said his goal is for every Sailor in the unit to understand the ROC mission and be ready to contribute when called.
“The military is the ultimate team organization,” he said. “I can’t do well unless you do well.”
As the 2026 hurricane season comes to end, Navy Region Hawaii’s reserve and active-duty teams remain focused on readiness – ensuring the ROC can monitor conditions, support decision makers, and respond when needed.
For Afong, that mission brings his career full circle: from a childhood visit aboard a warship in Pearl Harbor to leading a reserve team helping protect the region today.
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