A LETTER FROM LEADERSHIP

I am privileged to present to you the 2022 Georgia Department of Defense Annual Report. This report reflects the outstanding contributions of the 15,000 dedicated men and women of the Georgia National Guard. Our Soldiers and Airmen remain prepared to serve in any capacity for which they are called. As you will see throughout this report, we remain globally engaged and locally connected like never before.

The beginning of the year saw the Georgia Department of Defense continuing to provide support at home in the fight against COVID-19. Nearly two hundred thirty-nine Georgia Guardsmen responded around the state to provide hospital support teams, specimen point of collection teams, as well as Department of Public Health warehouse support. In addition to these state specific missions, we provided linguists, chaplains, and C-130 air support for Operation Allies Welcome which provided support to vulnerable Afghans who worked alongside us in Afghanistan for the past 20 years.

We remain globally engaged as we have had personnel mobilized in all six geographic combatant commands for well over a decade. After Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February, we mobilized members of the Army and Air National Guard to support United States interests in Europe. As of this writing we have more than 500 Army and Air National Guard personnel mobilized around the globe. Domestically, over 150 personnel remain on mission along the United States Southwest border.

Our top three priorities in the Georgia Department of Defense are people, readiness, and communication. Despite a difficult recruiting year, our strength numbers remain strong. We continue to train with partners and allies around the globe to maintain a high level of readiness. As our motto states, we are “Always Ready, Always There!”

Sincerely,