Nominations for National Guard leaders languish, triggering concerns as top officers retire

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top four officers of the National Guard Bureau have left or are set to retire in about two weeks, and to date no nominations for their replacements have been confirmed by the Senate, leaving the bureau, the Air Guard and the Army Guard without permanent leadership as they head into a busy hurricane season and a potentially challenging election period.

Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the Guard Bureau, will retire at the beginning of August and Lt. Gen. Marc Sasseville, who was the vice chief, has already retired. Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, who is chief of the Army Guard but has been serving as acting vice chief, will also retire in early August.

The lack of progress on the nominations has become a source of concern to the bureau, which oversees the training and oversight of the Guard and Reserve forces who deploy on federal duty for overseas combat and to protect the homeland. The Guard chief is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and serves as a key link to the adjutant generals who command the state Guard units across the country and its territories.

As an example, Guard troops from a number of states were called to Washington, D.C. to help secure the city after rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020. They also, in their state active duty status, routinely respond to hurricanes, fires and other disasters, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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