First Four-Star General for the National Guard

Good news for the National Guard, which always deserves special praise. Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley pinned on his fourth star and became chief of the National Guard Bureau in a ceremony at the Pentagon.

More than 300 people from all ranks, services and many states’ National Guards then watched Gates swear in McKinley as the first four-star general to lead the National Guard in its 372-year history.

“The promotion of Gen. Craig McKinley to this rank, to serve in this post, is in recognition of his outstanding leadership abilities and shows the confidence the president and I have in him to be the nation’s senior Guard officer at such a critical time,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said. Gates said McKinley successfully led the Air Guard during a time of severe manpower reductions and major challenges posed by the global war on terrorism, base realignment and closure implementation, budget changes and the transformation of the National Guard from a strategic reserve to an operational force.

McKinley succeeds Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum, who served in the post for more than five years and in January will become deputy commander of U.S. Northern Command, the first Guard officer to hold that position.

In other news on the four-star front, we profiled the first female four-star general of the Army, Ann. E. Dunwoody, who also represents three generations serving our armed forces with honor.