FORT MYER, Va. — The soldiers and airmen who fill the National Guard’s ranks are at the core of the United States’ decisive advantage over its global competitors, the newly appointed Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau John T. Raines III said recently.
In laying out his priorities as he assumed responsibility as the senior-most noncommissioned officer and principal military advisor on enlisted matters from outgoing Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony L. Whitehead, Raines said he would continue to put people first.
“Our people will underpin everything I do, while I work to accomplish Nordhaus’ priorities while staying focused on our guard tenets of warfighting, homeland and partnerships,” Raines said during the change of responsibility ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
“We, the Guard, are always there. And the Army National Guard and Air National Guard will make sure we are always ready.”
Raines noted the long history of National Guardsmen who have defended the homefront since the nation’s founding, and the elemental role NCO’s play in carrying out the mission.
“There is no other military in the world that has a National Guard like us, and no other military in the world that has an NCO corps like us,” he said. “These two things give us a strategic advantage over anyone who wishes to cause us harm.”
That advantage is now more critical than ever, Raines said.
“Our enemies are not resting,” he said. “They are not beaten. In fact, they are conspiring about how to defeat us, or at a minimum, change our way of life. Look at the Middle East, Ukraine, China. The old axis of evil isn’t gone. It still exists.
“I want to make sure my children and grandchildren have a life as equally rewarding as mine. What is our true strategic advantage to ensure this? Our people.”
During his remarks, Nordhaus emphasized the critical role the National Guard serves in defending the homeland, noting that there are currently more than 40,000 guardsmen actively engaged in missions both overseas and at home.
Raines, who has served in the Army and Army National Guard over his 35-year military career, assumed the role as senior enlisted advisor after serving most recently as the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard.
Whitehead, who served in the role since August 2020, closed out 42 years of service in both the Air Force and Air National Guard has he handed the reins to his successor.
“Our United States Armed Force is the absolute best that the world has ever seen, and we will continue to be, no matter what anybody says,” Whitehead said.
“I’m proud to do have been able to do what I’ve done for these years. And I didn’t do it by myself. I did it because I was surrounded by some of the most phenomenal people that are right here in this room.”
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