Letter from The Adjutant General
“We provide well-trained, equipped and ready military units of
Maine citizen-soldiers and Airmen for the defense of the state
and nation; we prepare for, respond to, recover from, and help
to mitigate the effects of natural and man-made disasters to the
citizens of our state, and we ensure that our military veterans and
their families are cared for from the time they leave the service and
forever,”
By the time this issue of our magazine is published, our Maine National Guard
will have just completed Exercise Vigilant Guard 2014, the largest and most complex
regional civil-military domestic response exercise in our history.
-Brig. Gen. James Campbell, March 2013
Exercises like Vigilant Guard highlight what is best about the National Guard – our
unique ability to integrate our proven military capabilities with our civilian interagency
partners, and provide support to our citizens when they need it most.
This exercise has involved over 3500 participants from across New England and
elsewhere in the United States and Canada, representing both civil agencies and the
military. It has been a monumental undertaking to plan, coordinate and resource. My
sincere thanks go to our superb joint military planning team and to our close partners at
the Maine Emergency Management Agency who have led this major and historic effort.
I am confident that after this vast and important undertaking, our units, our Joint
Staff and our leadership are better prepared and even more capable than we have ever
been of performing our vital domestic role. Our challenge now is to internalize the
lessons of this important training event, swiftly address our shortcomings and reinforce
our strengths, and get on with the business of being the premier National Guard
organization in the country.
This coming training year is again full of opportunities to improve our units
and Soldiers, and we will do this as we do everything – with quiet, competent
professionalism and a focus on setting and achieving high standards.
The Maine National Guard, by conducting this historic exercise, has proven yet
gain that we consistently lead the way with our professional excellence, work ethic, and
willingness to take on the tough missions and win.
Bayonets, Forward!
Brig. Gen. James Campbell