The National Guard will continue to diversify its missions in the years ahead, building on its wide range of domestic duties from the past two years, National Guard Bureau Chief Army Gen. Dan Hokanson recently told Military Times.

“The reason we have a National Guard is to fight in our nation’s wars,” Hokanson said. “With the manning, training and equipping that we do to fight wars, that allows us to do virtually anything. And as a result, we really have to be ready, we have to build readiness all the time for protection. And in doing that we prepare ourselves for anything that could happen in the United States.”

That includes responding to extreme weather events, he said.

Hokanson said another goal is to reorganize Guard units to integrate more easily with the Army.

“This will keep us seamlessly interoperable with the Army, make rotations more predictable and give our Guardsmen more leadership opportunities,” Hokanson said. “Most of all, it will ensure we are ready whenever our nation calls.”

Hokanson will address ADC’s Defense Communities National Summit next month.

Army National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jim Greenhill