Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Wednesday that she will nominate Brig. Gen. Jon Stubbs as secretary of the military and adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard.
Sanders also announced she will nominate the current Arkansas National Guard adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Kendall Penn, as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I will be appointing two high-caliber individuals with decades of military experience who will lead with honor and integrity — BG Jon Stubbs as the adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard and Major General Kendall Penn as the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Sanders said in a news release.
Stubbs is deputy director for operations, readiness and mobilization at the Department of the Army at the Pentagon. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1993, earning his commission in 1995. Stubbs has spent the majority of his career — 27 of 29 years in uniform — with the Arkansas National Guard, according to the release.
Stubbs has “held every leadership position within the 39th Infantry Brigade combat team” according to the news release, which includes leading Company C, 3-153 Infantry during Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004 to 2005.
“It is a great honor to be nominated by Governor-elect Sanders to lead our Arkansas Air and Army National Guard as the adjutant general,” Stubbs said in the release. “My 27 years in uniform with the Arkansas National Guard and current role as deputy director for operations readiness, and mobilization at the Pentagon has fully equipped me to ensure our Arkansas National Guard is always ready to rise to the defense of our state and nation. My family and I are thrilled to be returning home.”
Penn has served as adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard since 2019, overseeing the Guard’s efforts assisting the state during the covid-19 pandemic. He will succeed current Veterans Affairs Secretary Nate Todd.
“Our veterans have made countless sacrifices for our freedom, and I am honored to join the Sanders Administration and serve as secretary of Veterans Affairs,” Penn said in the news release. “Governor-elect Sanders shares my tremendous respect for our veterans and intention to ensure they have access to benefits, care and support. I look forward to working with her to make Arkansas the most veteran-friendly state in the nation.”
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