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The first National Guardsman to be U.S. military’s senior officer tops the list of five four-star generals scheduled to speak at the 147th General Conference & Exhibition, Aug. 22-25 in Milwaukee.
Air Force Gen. Dan Caine has been chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since April 11, 2025. He is principal military advisor to the president, defense secretary and National Security Council.
Two more JCS members are also on the agenda: Air Force Gen. Steven S. Nordhaus, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Army Gen. Randy A. George, the chief of staff of the Army.
This will be Nordhaus’ first NGAUS conference as NGB chief; George spoke to the gathering in 2023 in Reno, Nevada, and last year in Detroit.
Army Gen. James E. Rainey, the commanding general of Army Futures Command in Austin, Texas, and Air Force Gen. John D. Lamontagne, the commander of Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, will also speak in Milwaukee.
Attendees will also hear from Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., the recipient of the 2025 Harry S Truman, the association’s highest honor. She is a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
Most speakers will address the conference theme: America’s National Guard: Affordable, Accessible, Lethal.
Two panel discussions on topics pertinent to today’s warfighters are also on the agenda.
One focuses on the Guard’s strategic importance in the Indo-Pacific region. It will feature Guard officers assigned to U.S. Army Pacific and Pacific Air Forces. A Washington Army Guard general will provide a State Partnership Perspective. Washington is linked to Malaysia and Thailand in the SPP.
The second panel will cover the threat at home and abroad from unmanned aerial systems. One of the scheduled panelists is a frontline veteran of drone warfare in Ukraine.
The five four-stars, Baldwin and the panel discussions are set for Aug. 23 and/or Aug 24.
The traditional Army and Air separate sessions are on tap for Aug. 25. Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, the director of the Army Guard, and Army Lt. Gen. Mark Landes, the commander of First Army, will address Army Guard officers, while Air Force Maj. Gen. Duke A. Pirak, the acting director of the Air Guard, will speak to Air Guard officers.
“Professional development is a big part of our conference,” said retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the NGAUS president. “And attendees will leave Milwaukee with a better understanding of the emerging threats to our nation and how our new leaders are transforming the military to address those challenges.”
The full agenda will be posted at www.ngaus.org on Friday.
There is also association business to conduct. One item is board elections. This includes the three representatives (adjutant general, Army and Air) for Areas I and IV, the Air retired/separated representative and the Air company-grade rep.
Conference delegates will consider resolutions that will be the foundation for next year’s legislative agenda.
—By John Goheen
