Chief of the National Guard Bureau

Chief of the National Guard Bureau
Seal of the National Guard Bureau
Flag of the Chief
Incumbent General Steven S. Nordhaus since 2 October 2024
National Guard Bureau
Abbreviation	CNGB
Member of	Joint Chiefs of Staff
Reports to	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Nominator	President
Appointer	Senate
Term length	4 years Renewable
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 10502
Formation	14 February 1908
First holder	COL Erasmus M. Weaver Jr.
Deputy	Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau
Website	Official Website

The chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) is the highest-ranking officer of the National Guard and the head of the National Guard Bureau.^[1] The position is a statutory office (10 U.S.C. § 10502), held by a federally recognized commissioned officer who has served at least 10 years of federally recognized active duty in the National Guard; the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard.^[2] In a separate capacity as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (10 U.S.C. § 151), the chief is a military adviser to the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, the secretary of defense, and the president on matters pertaining to the National Guard.^[3]

The chief is nominated for appointment by the president from any eligible National Guard officers holding the rank of major general or above,^[4] who also meets the requirements for the position as determined by defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,^[4] under the advice and/or recommendation from their respective state governors and their service secretary. The chief and vice chief of the National Guard Bureau cannot be from the same service.^[5] The nominee must be confirmed via majority vote from the Senate.^[4] The chief serves a four-year term of office at the pleasure of the president.^[4] By statute, the Chief is appointed as a four-star general^[4] in the Army or Air Force, serving as a reserve officer on active duty.^[4]

The current chief of the National Guard Bureau is General Steven Nordhaus, who assumed command on 2 October 2024.^[6]

In 1908, the United States Army created the Militia Bureau to oversee training and readiness for the National Guard as part of implementing the Militia Act of 1903. From 1908 to 1911, Erasmus M. Weaver Jr. served as head of the Army's Militia Bureau, the first person to hold the position.^[7] The National Defense Act of 1920 included a provision that the chief of the Militia Bureau must be a National Guard officer.^[8][9][10] In 1921 Pennsylvania National Guard officer George C. Rickards became the first guardsman to serve as chief, and he held the post until his 1925 retirement.^[11]

In September 1947, the Air National Guard was created, and the positions of Chief the Army Division and Chief of the Air Division were established, with the directors subordinate to the NGB Chief.^[12] In 1953, Air National Guard director Earl T. Ricks served as acting chief of the National Guard Bureau, making him the first Air Guard officer to hold the chief's position.^[13] In the mid-1970s, the chief of the National Guard Bureau position was elevated from major general to lieutenant general, and La Vern E. Weber became the first NGB chief to wear three stars.^[14]

The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act elevated the chief of the National Guard Bureau to the four-star rank of general making Craig McKinley the first National Guard officer to achieve four-star rank. In 2012, the position became the seventh member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff via the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on 31 December 2011. The sitting Joint Chiefs at the time, had opposed the addition of another member, but the president promised in his 2008 campaign to elevate the office.^[15]

This positional flag for the chief of the National Guard Bureau was used from 1998 to 2008. The dark blue represented the Army National Guard, the light blue represented the Air National Guard. The badge in the center is the branch insignia of the National Guard Bureau. The two triangles in the upper fly are "flight devices" and represent the Air National Guard.

The current version of the flag was adopted in 2008 when the position of Chief of the National Guard Bureau was upgraded to four-star general.

No.	Commander		Term			Service branch
	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Term length
1		Colonel Erasmus M. Weaver Jr. (1854–1920)	14 February 1908	14 March 1911	3 years, 28 days	U.S. Army
2		Brigadier General Robert K. Evans (1852–1926)	15 March 1911	31 August 1912	1 year, 169 days	U.S. Army
3		Major General Albert L. Mills (1854–1916)	1 September 1912	18 September 1916	4 years, 17 days	U.S. Army
-		Colonel George W. McIver (1858–1947) Acting	18 September 1916	26 October 1916	38 days	U.S. Army
4		Major General William A. Mann (1854–1934)	26 October 1916	26 November 1917	262 days	U.S. Army
5		Major General Jesse McI. Carter (1863–1930)	26 November 1917	15 August 1918	262 days	U.S. Army
-		Brigadier General John W. Heavey (1867–1941) Acting	15 August 1918	5 February 1919	174 days	U.S. Army
5		Major General Jesse McI. Carter (1863–1930)	5 February 1919	28 June 1921	2 years, 143 days	U.S. Army
6		Major General George C. Rickards (1860–1933)	29 June 1921	28 June 1925	3 years, 364 days	U.S. Army
7		Major General Creed C. Hammond (1874–1940)	29 June 1925	28 June 1929	3 years, 364 days	U.S. Army
-		Colonel Ernest R. Redmond (1883–1966) Acting	29 June 1929	30 September 1929	93 days	U.S. Army
8		Major General William G. Everson (1879–1954)	1 October 1929	30 November 1931	2 years, 60 days	U.S. Army
9		Major General George E. Leach (1876–1955)	1 December 1931	30 November 1935	3 years, 364 days	U.S. Army
-		Colonel Herold J. Weiler (1886–1945) Acting	1 December 1935	16 January 1936	46 days	U.S. Army
-		Colonel John F. Williams (1887–1953) Acting	17 January 1936	30 January 1936	13 days	U.S. Army
10		Major General Albert H. Blanding (1876–1970)	31 January 1936	30 January 1940	4 years, 0 days	U.S. Army
11		Major General John F. Williams (1887–1953)	31 January 1940	30 January 1944	4 years, 0 days	U.S. Army
-		Major General John F. Williams (1887–1953) Acting	31 January 1944	31 January 1946	2 years, 0 days	U.S. Army
12		Major General Butler B. Miltonberger (1897–1977)	1 February 1946	29 September 1947	1 year, 240 days	U.S. Army
13		Major General Kenneth F. Cramer (1894–1954)	30 September 1947	4 September 1950	2 years, 339 days	U.S. Army
-		Major General Raymond H. Fleming (1889–1974) Acting	5 September 1950	13 August 1951	342 days	U.S. Army
14		Major General Raymond H. Fleming (1889–1974)	14 August 1951	15 February 1953	1 year, 185 days	U.S. Army
-		Major General Earl T. Ricks (1908–1954) Acting	16 February 1953	21 June 1953	125 days	U.S. Air Force
15		Major General Edgar C. Erickson (1896–1989)	22 June 1953	31 May 1959	5 years, 342 days	U.S. Army
-		Major General Winston P. Wilson (1911–1996) Acting	1 June 1959	19 July 1959	48 days	U.S. Air Force
16		Major General Donald W. McGowan (1899–1967)	20 July 1959	30 August 1963	4 years, 41 days	U.S. Army
17		Major General Winston P. Wilson (1911–1996)	31 August 1963	31 August 1971	8 years, 0 days	U.S. Air Force
18		Major General Francis S. Greenlief (1921–1999)	1 September 1971	23 June 1974	2 years, 295 days	U.S. Army
19		Lieutenant General La Vern E. Weber (1923–1999)	16 August 1974	15 August 1982	7 years, 364 days	U.S. Army
20		Lieutenant General Emmett H. Walker Jr. (1924–2007)	16 August 1982	15 August 1986	3 years, 364 days	U.S. Army
21		Lieutenant General Herbert R. Temple Jr. (1928–2024)	16 August 1986	31 January 1990	3 years, 168 days	U.S. Army
22		Lieutenant General John B. Conaway (born 1934)	1 February 1990	1 December 1993	3 years, 303 days	U.S. Air Force
-		Major General Philip G. Killey (born 1941) Acting	2 December 1993	1 January 1994	210 days	U.S. Air Force
-		Major General Raymond F. Rees (born 1944) Acting	2 January 1994	31 July 1994	210 days	U.S. Army
-		Major General John R. D'Araujo Jr. (born 1943) Acting	1 August 1994	30 September 1994	60 days	U.S. Army
23		Lieutenant General Edward D. Baca (1938–2020)	1 October 1994	31 July 1998	3 years, 303 days	U.S. Army
24		Lieutenant General Russell C. Davis (born 1938)	4 August 1998	3 August 2002	3 years, 364 days	U.S. Air Force
-		Major General Raymond F. Rees (born 1944) Acting	4 August 2002	10 April 2003	249 days	U.S. Army
25		Lieutenant General H Steven Blum (born 1946)	11 April 2003	17 November 2008	5 years, 220 days	U.S. Army
26		General Craig R. McKinley (born 1952)	17 November 2008	6 September 2012	3 years, 294 days	U.S. Air Force
27		General Frank J. Grass (born 1951)	7 September 2012	3 August 2016	3 years, 331 days	U.S. Army
28		General Joseph L. Lengyel (born 1959)	3 August 2016	3 August 2020	4 years, 0 days	U.S. Air Force
29		General Daniel R. Hokanson (born 1963)	3 August 2020	2 August 2024	3 years, 365 days	U.S. Army
-		Lieutenant General Jonathan Stubbs (born 1972) Acting	5 August 2024[16]	2 October 2024	58 days	U.S. Army
30		General Steven S. Nordhaus (born 1966)	2 October 2024	Incumbent	199 days	U.S. Air Force

• Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau

Media related to Chiefs of the National Guard Bureau at Wikimedia Commons

• Biography, Frank J. Grass