The National Guard has faced challenges from within as well, with a federal grand jury indicting Jack Teixeira, a former Massachusetts Air National Guard member accused of posting secret and sensitive military documents on social media.
When asked if there are practices in place to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future, Hokanson said, "Absolutely, that was a very disappointing event, to say the least," adding: "The investigation is ongoing, but [we] immediately worked with the Department of Defense to go back and look at and make sure all of the policies and procedures were up to date."
The Guard is engaged in areas of foreign conflict, too. According to the Department of Defense, when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, some of the first phone calls from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, were made to Sacramento, California. Since that invasion, the U.S. has, among many things, provided Ukrainian soldiers with weapons training on the ground.
More than a year later, the guardsmen still support Ukraine through "virtual engagement and are really staying in close contact," Hokanson said.
"The National Guard and the active army are working together to establish a training center outside of [the Ukrainian city of] Lviv to focus on all those areas they saw as potential shortcomings," he added.
In an aspect of military life that is a growing concern, miliary news outlets have noted a sharp spike in active duty suicides in the first quarter of 2023. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that certain groups have substantially higher rates of suicide than the general U.S. population, and it appears "veterans bear a disproportionate but preventable burden" in that regard.
Of the total number of suicides that occurred daily in 2019, which was 130, 17 of them were by military veterans.
In 2021, 519 U.S. service members died by suicide, according to the Department of Defense. The deaths involved individuals who served in active duty, reserve and National Guard roles.
Hokanson shared his concern and emphasized the importance of addressing the issue.
"Obviously, we are very concerned about that ... and unfortunately, there is not one answer for this ... we've worked with all of our states and territories and have actually encouraged them to try to develop plans or programs that they think might make a difference," he said.
Hokanson acknowledged that the "loss of anyone is critical," adding: "It is not just the loss to the organization, but it's to their family and their friends."
