SANTA FE, N.M. – Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham passed the organization’s colors to Brig. Gen. Miguel Aguilar, transferring the leadership of the New Mexico National Guard to the newly appointed Adjutant General of New Mexico at an assumption of command ceremony June 4, 2022 at the NMNG’s Military Complex.
Aguilar, who was selected the 45th Adjutant General on May 6, had been serving as the acting Adjutant General since Jan.1, 2022. As Adjutant General, he serves as the Governor’s senior military advisor and is responsible for providing the state of New Mexico and United States of America with a ready force of citizen Soldiers and Airmen.
“I am incredibly honored to be here with you today to recognize Brig. Gen. Miguel Aguilar as the New Mexico Adjutant General,” said Lujan Grisham. “I thank him, as well as each of our New Mexico National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, our veterans and active military members for their selfless service to our state and country.”
“Having worked closely with the General over the last few months, I am confident that he is the capable, competent, experienced and the smart, compassionate leader we want and deserve to lead us through any number of challenges and opportunities, and I thank you Sir for bringing that level of wisdom, commitment, dedication, and experience to our state and nation,” said Lujan Grisham. “He has been in critical leadership positions serving our nation and state throughout his distinguished career. He has clearly demonstrated his leadership and desire to serve New Mexicans as the state continues to fight and recover from wildfires, Covid -19 and has led our Guardsmen and women in our Support Teachers and Families mission which helped fill a critical need of substitute teachers.”
While the state has been under multiple emergencies for the past three years, the Governor said the burdens that the Guard carries on our behalf are immense in a 24/7 design and “the most important valuable thing as Governor is when we need you, I get to congratulate you for stepping in whatever the environment is to make sure we are protected and safe.”
“To his family who has had to endure his absence, I thank you personally for your selfless sacrifices and for your support of his abilities, dedication and commitment,” said Lujan Grisham.
Aguilar began his remarks by thanking the Governor and her staff for showing him the trust and confidence to serve in this position and his fellow cabinet secretaries who he works with on behalf of our state. He also thanked leaders from neighboring active-duty installations for visiting with him and said our partnership with them is key for us to maintain readiness for our units.
“To my wife Christine, daughter Marina and son Michael, thank you for your love and support and allowing me to do what I do,” said Aguilar. “At the end of the day they get what’s left from me after much of my energy is consumed while working now in this uniform and previously with State Police.”
Aguilar thanked New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) for the incredible foundation it set for him in his military career, how it means a lot to him and will not be forgotten.
As he thanked his mother Maria, his family and friends for their love and unwavering support, Aguilar recounted how his father Jesus, who he lost four years ago, made a $1,000 bet with money he didn’t have by taking out a short-term loan to get him into NMMI and said, “back then I would tell you it was probably a poor bet. We miss him and we have a scholarship in his memory to help families not have to make that sacrifice. Thank you, Governor, for your leadership and support of education which should be available to anybody who wants it.”
Aguilar said there is something special about what the Guard does, allowing someone like him who was chopping cotton as a young boy, to get to where he is at today.
“It’s not a unique story of one, it’s a story of thousands and has been repeated over and over, whether they became generals or sergeants major,” said Aguilar. “One of the great things about this organization is it builds leaders and teams who are part of our communities. As New Mexico becomes a greater state, the Guard has a piece in making sure that we grow leaders, become great employees and great business owners.”
Aguilar also spoke about the NMNG’s dual status mission and the Guard’s federal mission to recruit and train soldiers and airmen that are available to do what our nation needs us to do, as well as what we do for the state. He said that over the past couple of years, the Guard has been everything is has needed to be for its communities – working through the pandemic, helping fight fires or teaching in the classroom – and it’s only possible because of our people.
“My message to our soldiers and airmen is simple and the one thing that is paramount and I give you my solemn oath on is this… I don’t care what your gender is, who you love or how you identify,” said Aguilar. “What I care about is that each of you who wears that uniform stood up and swore an oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States against all its enemies, foreign and domestic. Because you are willing to do that and you know that includes what Lincoln so eloquently phrased as giving your last full measure of devotion to the nation, you understand that you may have to give your life in defense of this nation, to this state and to the soldier or airmen who sits to the left or right of you. You should always be treated with dignity and respect every moment that you wear that uniform.”
“My other message to you is this – we must be ready, we must be fit, we must train hard, and I will spend every moment as the Adjutant General ensuring every resource and effort we make is to ensure you are ready when the nation needs you because we know this, the next battle isn’t going to look like the last 20 years,” said Aguilar. “Look at what Ukraine is fighting for; that’s what we must be prepared to do. We must spend laser focus to ensure we build our readiness so you are prepared to do the job your nation needs you to do and that you are as skilled as possible to ensure the survivability of every one of our soldiers.”
While previously serving as deputy adjutant general since August 2018, he also served concurrently as the deputy Commanding General of First Army-Division West since May 2021. First Army-Division West is responsible for conducting post mobilization training and validation of all National Guard and Reserve units mobilized into federal service.
Previously, Aguilar took command of the 111th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in 2014 and oversaw its transition to the 111th Sustainment Brigade. He commanded the brigade until 2017 when he became the New Mexico Army National Guard’s deputy chief of staff for operations.
Aguilar deployed to Afghanistan in 2005 as a member of an Embedded Training Team for the 205th Regional Corps Advisory Group.
He assumed command of 1st Battalion, 200th Infantry, in 2011 and led the battalion though a deployment to the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, as part of the Multinational Force and Observers. Along with commanding the U.S. battalion, Aguilar as the senior U.S. Army commander in Sharm El-Sheikh, also served as the South Camp commander.
A native of Dexter, N.M. and a proud Dexter Demon, Aguilar earned his commission from NMMI in Roswell, N.M., and began his career in 1990 as a 2nd lieutenant assigned as an Air Defense Chaparral platoon leader in Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 200th ADA, New Mexico Army National Guard.
In his civilian career, Aguilar retired from the New Mexico State Police in 2018 as a Major in command of the Special Operations bureau.
