Chief of NGB visits New Mexico
By Joseph Vigil, Chief of Public Affairs, NMNG
KAFB, NM – The Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Dan Hokanson, visited New Mexico National Guard senior leaders, Soldiers and Airmen here on March 9, 2021. Hokanson was able to see firsthand the great work our Soldiers and Airmen are doing on behalf of our New Mexico citizens during this pandemic, talked to NMMG recruiters as well as Soldiers and Airmen of the major commands.
“Today, I saw the care New Mexico National Guard members take handling COVID-19 vaccines in support of partner agencies,” said Hokanson. “Courtney Lovato, director of pharmacy with the state’s department of Health, told me Guard members have been essential to the success of New Mexico’s vaccination program. Army Spc. Nathan Silva and Airman Alexya Alvarez gave me an outstanding demonstration of a complex process our troops follow to get perishable shots to arms. I am so proud of the work thousands of Guard members nationwide are doing right now to fight the pandemic!”
Lovato explained to Hokanson that the Ultra Low Temperature vaccine facility was set up to make sure that there was health equity in vaccine distribution between New Mexico’s rural communities and the urban centers and told him New Mexico received recognition from The Washington Post for being one of the few states that had a distribution plan early on for rural areas. Lovato said New Mexico consistently ranks in the top three in the country for doses administered per population base.
“This site and the New Mexico National Guard team supporting us have been integral to the success because we planned ahead and were able to immediately distribute vaccine when it started being shipped,” said Lovato. “Thank you to the New Mexico National Guard for being with us from day one, from helping us do planning to operationalizing this mission. The department of Health could not have done it without the tremendous support we received from them.”
Lovato said she was shocked to learn that this joint team of Soldiers and Airmen never worked together before because they do amazing work together – from communicating clearly to problem solving to their dedication to the mission – they get it done.
“They are here at 2:30 in the morning with me, packing vaccine,” said Lovato to Hokanson. “Their ability to execute under pressure, taking vaccine from the ULT to count it out quickly and get it back to a freezer within the 3-minute interval because we can’t afford to lose the resource, has been impressive. I have found a consistent level of professionalism with every New Mexico National Guard member I have worked with.”
Maj. Gen. Ken Nava, the Adjutant General of New Mexico, thanked the Soldiers, Airmen and Lovato for giving the CNGB a great tour and working demonstration of how our vaccines are received, stored, accounted for and prepared for distribution throughout the state at the ULT vaccine storage facility.
Hokanson also took the time to speak to the NMNG’s recruiting and retention staff to find out how he could best help them better do their jobs and said he likes visiting with recruiting staff in the states so he can see where the trends are.
Nava told the Chief he was very proud of the work our recruiters are doing despite the challenges that COVID presents to the recruiting effort.
“These folks are doing it without missing a beat; finding new, innovative ways to bring young New Mexicans into our force and giving them the opportunity to change their lives,” said Nava.
Hokanson said he wants to know what barriers he can help remove so that they can bring in more quality candidates that are reflective of our communities.
“Tell me what we can do at the national level that would make your job easier,” said the CNGB.
NMNG recruiters told the Chief they need to become an asset to our states educators for improving our education system and not be seen as the guy with keychains and a rock wall. They would also like to see advertising and marketing in our region reflective of New Mexico’s diverse population. They also spoke about retention and the top three reasons why folks stay in the Guard – camaraderie, they get to do their jobs they signed up for and the benefits. They also discussed why folks leave the organization.
Hokanson recognized recruiting’s top performers in both the Air and Army side of the house for their achievements over the past year by presenting them with his CNGB coin.
The CNGB also spoke with key staff members of the NMNG’s major commands and asked them how he could help them do their jobs. Hokanson told them what the future of the National Guard looks like. He fielded their questions about the Department of Defense congressional budget, the existing threat around the globe, the DC mission, company grade promotion timeline guidelines, relaxing COVID restrictions for the purposes of schools / travel and how a unified NGB is going to simplify how states access a single point of entry for assistance.
The Chief also recognized top performers from the major commands with his CNGB coin.
Hokanson said he enjoys visiting states to see how he and NGB can better assist our states.