Air Force Gen. Steven Nordhaus received the flag of the National Guard Bureau during an assumption of responsibility ceremony today and pledged that everything he does as the chief would be in service to the men and women of the National Guard. 

Nordhaus also becomes the newest member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Navy Adm. Christopher W. Grady, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presided over the ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia. Nordhaus succeeds Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, who stepped down from the position in August. 

Nordhaus said National Guardsmen are “an elite and ready warfighting force that [is] well integrated with the joint force, our allies and partners, the interagency and our local communities.” 

He noted that currently, there are 46,000 guardsmen engaged globally — 22,000 overseas with the combatant commands, 14,500 serving in support of Homeland Defense or Homeland Security and another 9,500 doing domestic operations.  

National Guardsmen deployed to support people affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. “It is just an amazing capability that we have in our National Guard,” the general said. “It is critical to our national defense, and I am proud to represent them.” 

The National Guard succeeds because of its people, Nordhaus said. “Our profession of arms is collaborative and cooperative,” he said. “Every detail of every job counts. Every single soldier and airman in our organization is vital to the success of our nation and our freedoms.”  

Guardsmen “deserve the very best leadership, and they deserve dignity and respect,” he continued. 

Guardsmen will remain the general’s highest priority as chief of the National Guard Bureau. “I believe in three simple tenets … service, optimism and passion,” he said. “The spirit of service is at the heart of everything we do. We serve our nation and our people. We serve the Constitution. We serve alongside our allies and partners, our joint force and our interagency colleagues.” 

Optimism is a tenet because “we serve because we believe we can make a difference because we believe progress is possible, and optimism is a force multiplier for turning those beliefs into action,” he said. 

The passion to serve the people of the National Guard and of guardsmen to serve the people of America is also an important tenet. “We must put our great soldiers and airmen and civilians front and center,” he said. “Without you, we cannot succeed. During my time as chief, we will remain keenly focused on readiness every day, particularly in the light of great power competition. We are defending a nation that has more than 330 million people that call it home. We are defending a Constitution that over 1.3 million Americans have died to uphold. We must be ready to ensure that our freedoms are never in doubt.”

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