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Ohio Adjutant General outlines budget priorities: cyber reserve, counter‑drug and scholarship expansions
Summary
Major General John Harris, Ohio’s Adjutant General, presented the National Guard’s FY26–27 budget priorities to the Senate Higher Education Committee, emphasizing cyber defense, counter‑drug operations, disaster response and an expanded scholarship program.
Major General John Harris, the state Adjutant General, presented the Ohio National Guard’s budget priorities to the Senate Higher Education Committee, emphasizing a mix of readiness, cyber capability, counter‑drug support, and community programs that the guard says require continued state investment.
Harris described the governor’s proposed General Revenue Fund (GRF) appropriation for the Adjutant General’s Department as $16,790,000 for FY 2026 and $16,990,000 for FY 2027, representing increases over FY 2025 levels. “Governor DeWine's FY… budget complements federal appropriations for the operation of the Ohio Army and Air National Guard,” Harris said, and added the funding “allows the Adjutant General's Department and the Ohio National Guard to continue to meet state and federal obligations while also continue to expand programs that directly impact our communities.”
Harris highlighted the Ohio Cyber Reserve, created under Senate Bill 52 (2019), as having grown from 52 members in 2022 to 171 in 2024 and completing 88 non‑emergency cyber missions that the Adjutant General’s office estimates saved municipalities $1,650,000 in costs through vulnerability assessments and assistance. He told senators the cyber reserve is largely volunteer‑based and that the department evaluated a flat budget as sufficient to sustain it. “The cyber reserve is sustained through a lot of voluntary efforts… we're able to scale the cyber reserve without a profound impact on the budget,” Harris said.
On counter‑drug efforts, Harris said the National Guard’s counter drug program expanded from 58 to 83 members and contributed to investigations leading to seizures the department described as over $22,000,000 in cash and over $192,000,000 in cryptocurrency, with 997 arrests during the period cited.
Harris also described domestic response operations, saying the Guard removed nearly 1,100 tons of debris and cleared miles of road following a 2024 tornado in Logan County. He noted recent hurricane deployments to North Carolina and Florida and framed the Guard’s scholarship program as essential to recruitment. Harris said the Guard’s scholarship program now covers licensure credentials and certifications approved by the State of Ohio Department of Higher Education as well as two‑ and four‑year degrees.
Committee members asked about cybersecurity posture and command chains for cyber emergencies; Harris said Ohio has established a Cyber Integration Center and memorandums of understanding among agencies, and he noted state senior cybersecurity coordination through a governor‑appointed senior cybersecurity advisor.
No committee action or vote was taken on the budget during this hearing; the Adjutant General’s testimony was part of the committee’s informal hearings on the biennial operating budget.
