Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appoints Arkansas Secretary of the Military, National Guard adjunct general

Little Rock, Arkansas – A 32-year veteran of the Arkansas military has been selected for a state cabinet post.

Col. Olen Chad Bridges has been appointed Secretary of the Military and Adjunct General of the Arkansas National Guard, according to a Monday announcement by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. He is the 55th member of the Arkansas Guard to achieve the post of adjunct general.

Bridges became a member of the Guard in 1991, received his commission in 1998, and became the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team’s commander in 2021. His previous three postings were all at the Pentagon.

The Colonel, who resides in Conway with his spouse and two kids, has been a full-time Guard officer since 2006.

Sanders said she was confident in the officer’s ability to schedule the meeting.

Colonel Chad Bridges is the most qualified individual to command the best National Guard Arkansas has to offer, according to the governor. “Colonel Bridges has served as a devoted public servant to our state and country for 32 years, during which he has led troops from Arkansas in three deployments overseas, led troops in the Middle East, and held several significant positions in the Pentagon.”

Bridges remarked, “I am incredibly grateful and deeply honored to Governor Sanders for this incredible opportunity to become a member of her cabinet and serve as the 55th Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard and Secretary of the Military.”