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Department of Military Affairs details Guard size, Camp Ripley and enlistment incentive requests
Summary
The Minnesota Department of Military Affairs briefed senators on the National Guard's structure, Camp Ripley training assets, a $2.4 billion federal equipment investment, and state requests for increased enlistment incentives, cyber coordination funding and bonding authority adjustments.
Don Kerr, executive director of the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs, told the Senate subcommittee on Jan. 27 that the Minnesota National Guard includes roughly 13,000 soldiers and airmen and that the state agency oversees about 400 civilian employees who support training sites, security and armories.
"My name is Don Kerr, and I'm the executive director of the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs," Kerr said when he began his overview. Lieutenant Colonel Eric Aftman accompanied him and answered operational questions.
Kerr described the Guard as a dual-status force that serves both state and federal missions and said the department oversees 63 armories in 58 communities, two aviation flight facilities and two air bases. He highlighted Camp Ripley, a 53,000-acre training center near the state's center, as the Guard's primary training…
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