Thursday, June 18, 2020

NGB nominee addresses SASC

Army Lt. Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, the president’s nominee to become the next Chief of the National Guard Bureau (NGB), addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) in a confirmation hearing June 18. “Today is an important and pivotal time in the history of the National Guard,” he said. The Guard has been placed on “complex dynamic missions overseas and here at home,” he continued. The next chief of the NGB “must continue to effectively navigate this unprecedented landscape and work closely with stakeholders” at all levels. In recent months, the NG has been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic response in every state. They have been supporting their communities for virus testing sites, long-term care facilities, hospitals and food banks. They’ve delivered personal protective equipment, sewn face masks, turned convention centers into alternate-care facilities “and so much more,'' Hokanson said. The Guard has also responded to civil unrest in multiple states. ''As a result, we reached a new peak earlier this month of over 120,000 citizen-soldiers and airmen mobilized worldwide. If confirmed by the full Senate, Hokanson will be promoted to general. He currently is the bureau’s vice chief. He told the SASC he plans to work to ensure the NG is manned, trained, equipped, and ready. (Source: DoD 06/18/20)

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