Michigan military leaders outline readiness, armory upgrades and veterans priorities in subcommittee briefing

Terry Sabo, deputy director for the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs, told the House subcommittee that the department’s primary mission is readiness while also contributing “over a billion dollar impact in the state of Michigan,” largely through federal funds and National Guard activity.

Sabo said the department employs just under 11,000 people, about 10,000 of whom are uniformed soldiers and airmen, and that the Michigan National Guard is roughly 95% of its authorized force. “We really wanna be as close to that 100% as possible, because strength matters when it comes to the missions and the funding that goes with it,” Sabo said.

The presentation highlighted three budget priorities for fiscal 2026: repurposing the Michigan National Guard State Tuition Assistance Program fund to allow reimbursement for childcare for members and their families; a $26 million state funding request to complete the non–airfield phase of an encroachment and runway repositioning project at Selfridge Air National Guard Base; and a one‑time $5 million state investment to acquire land and cover early design and engineering for a new state veterans cemetery.

Rochelle Breeden, the department’s chief financial officer, described the tuition‑assistance proposal as an expansion of existing resources rather than a request for new recurring state dollars. She cited a department survey that found 40% of Army National Guard families and 30% of Air National Guard families struggle to find reliable childcare and said the change would allow the state fund to reimburse childcare costs for members.

On Selfridge, Sabo and Breeden said the base needs work to resolve encroachment at a runway clear zone. Sabo explained the project will shorten the south end and extend the north end of the runway to restore required clearances; he and Breeden said the $26 million would fund the next construction phase and help secure future federal missions. A lawmaker described the overall Selfridge program as roughly a $100 million undertaking, and department officials said the $26 million would put the state roughly halfway to that estimated total.

Sabo also reviewed the department’s armory modernization that followed a $55 million state appropriation paired with federal funds. He said the program refurbished dozens of armories and relied on local contractors. “Every dollar of state money was bringing us back a dollar 85,” Sabo said of the match the department secured with federal partners.

Brian Love, director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency, summarized veterans‑services work and the veterans‑home program. He said Michigan operates three veterans homes, in Grand Rapids, Chesterfield and Marquette, and that the department has purchased property and plans a groundbreaking to replace the Jacobetti (Marquette) home. Love said the proposed $5 million state investment for a new cemetery would allow the agency to pursue federal construction grants; he estimated more than 50,000 veterans live within 75 miles of the proposed site and forecast roughly 200 eligible interments per year.

The department also described training and readiness activities, including the state’s National All‑Domain Warfighting Center (NADWIC) installations such as Camp Grayling and the Northern Strike exercise. Sabo invited lawmakers to visit the August training exercises, which he said drew more than 6,000 uniformed participants in 2024.

The presentation closed with agency officials committing to follow‑up briefings and to bring the veterans agency back for a deeper discussion of outreach, grants and veterans‑home planning.

Ending: Lawmakers asked questions about timelines and federal cost‑sharing for Selfridge and the veterans cemetery; officials said some projects rely on future federal investment and that the $26 million and $5 million requests would unlock further federal funding opportunities.