Senate Confirms Nordhaus as 30th National Guard Bureau Chief

ARLINGTON, Va., - The U.S. Senate has confirmed Air Force Lt. Gen. Steven S. Nordhaus to serve as the 30th chief of the National Guard Bureau and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Nordhaus will serve as the principal advisor to the secretary of defense on National Guard issues and will be responsible for ensuring the manning, training, and equipping of more than 430,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from the 54 states, territories, and the District of Columbia.

Nordhaus most recently served as commander of the Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region - First Air Force (Air Forces Northern & Air Forces Space), Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Nordhaus graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. He served on active duty as an F-16 pilot and F-16 instructor and evaluator pilot before joining the Ohio National Guard in 1998. A command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours, his service includes combat missions over Afghanistan and Iraq.

With this confirmation, he will promote to general and formally assume responsibility as the chief of the National Guard Bureau in a military ceremony to take place in October. Details of his promotion and the ceremonious assumption of responsibility will be shared once they are available.

Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs has served as the acting National Guard Bureau chief since the 29th NGB chief, Army Gen. (Ret.) Daniel Hokanson, retired and relinquished responsibility Aug. 2.

As a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the CNGB serves as a military advisor to the president, secretary of defense and National Security Council, and is the Department of Defense's official channel of communication to the governors and state adjutants general on matters pertaining to the National Guard. If confirmed, he will lead the more than 430,000 members of the Army and Air National Guard.

About the National Guard Bureau - The chief of the National Guard and the National Guard Bureau ensure proper manning, training, and equipping of the Army and Air National Guard so they can perform their missions as the primary combat reserve of the Army and the Air Force, fighting and winning the nation's wars, protecting the homeland, and assisting communities in times of natural or human-caused disaster.