Ohio National Guard asks for higher state funds to sustain cyber reserve, counterdrug and mental‑health programs

Major General John Harris, adjutant general for the state of Ohio, told the House Public Safety Committee the governor’s proposed general‑revenue appropriation would provide $16,790,000 for fiscal year 2026 and $16,990,000 for fiscal year 2027 to sustain personnel, cyber and counterdrug programs and expand behavioral‑health support for members of the Ohio National Guard.

Harris emphasized the Guard’s statewide role and community footprint, saying the department represents more than 16,000 soldiers, airmen, state defense force members and civilian employees and maintains roughly 1,500,000 square feet of facilities across 55 sites in 36 counties. "This budget request allows the adjutant general's department to retain the capacity to alert, mobilize, and deploy personnel and equipment anywhere in the state or in the nation at a moment's notice by maintaining staffing levels," he told the committee.

A central theme of Harris’s testimony was the Ohio Cyber Reserve, created by…