South Dakota National Guard briefs legislature on global threats, mobilization risks and budget trims; Civil Air Patrol grant removed in governor’s proposal

Mark Morrell, agent general of the South Dakota National Guard, told a legislative committee the Guard exists “first and foremost to fight and win our nation’s wars,” and briefed lawmakers on recent missions, global threats, infrastructure vulnerabilities and the governor’s proposed budget changes affecting the Guard.

Global posture, missions and critical-infrastructure concerns Morrell summarized recent missions and force posture: fighter jets on homeland alert rotations, deployments to the Indo‑Pacific, Title 10 cyber defense missions in the national capital region, aviation support for counter‑drug and wildfire operations, and soldiers mobilized to the southern border in Title 10 status. He warned of growing coordination among adversary states and said the Guard is paying increased attention to critical‑infrastructure vulnerabilities. Morrell referenced recent large-scale cyber intrusion campaign names cited in his slides and said small‑town infrastructure and SCADA systems have been targeted, noting the difficulty of defending interconnected telecommunications, energy, transportation and water/wastewater sectors.

Budget priorities and impacts Morrell presented the governor’s recommended budget for the Department of the Military. He said the recommendation includes an overall reduction in general funds (a decline that also reduces federal-matching authority) amounting to a roughly 13% decrease in the department’s state-level budget line items for maintenance and repair. He told the committee the department believes it can sustain the proposed reduction but explained some program changes would follow.

Civil Air Patrol and tuition assistance Morrell said the governor’s recommendation removes a previously authorized grant of about $60,000 for the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). During testimony, Christopher Warenko, senior master sergeant in the Civil Air Patrol, urged the committee to retain the funding and described CAP missions: “When that happens, CAP volunteers spring into action... We spent months learning techniques and mastering advanced technologies, such as drones, to explore more areas.” Committee members asked for more information on the CAP’s mission count and in‑kind value; Morrell said the organization tracks missions and assets and estimated the group’s contribution is substantially larger than the grant amount.

Morrell described a “right‑sizing” of the Guard tuition assistance account after a recent transfer of that program back from the Board of Regents; he said earlier estimates to rebuild an antiquated IT module had been higher but the department now expects lower IT costs after working with state IT staff.

Military construction and readiness centers Morrell reviewed planned minor and major military construction projects, noting some federal projects are 100% federally funded but that one anticipated modernization—labeled the Northern Hills Readiness Center recapitalization—would likely require a significant state general‑fund contribution in the $9 million to $12 million range. He said some MilCon projects were delayed because equipment and materiel transfers were reallocated overseas, which affects training timelines.

Recruiting and force strength Morrell told the committee the Air National Guard is above authorized end strength and the Army National Guard is below by several hundred personnel; he described recruitment progress and said equipment delivery timelines will affect unit fill rates.

Committee exchange and public comment Committee members asked detailed questions about CAP, the tuition assistance module, maintenance and repair items (including a question about whether solar installations were maintenance or capital projects), and the Guard’s deployment posture. Students and CAP members provided public comment in support of the Civil Air Patrol and youth recruitment in CAP. Christopher Warenko said CAP’s volunteer missions save taxpayers money and help with search and rescue; two students described plans to join the Guard and ROTC pathways.

Actions and next steps No appropriation votes were taken during the hearing. The committee adjourned on a motion by Representative Sharda, seconded by Representative Jorgensen, and the motion passed by voice vote.

Ending Morrell invited legislators to the National Guard legislative breakfast and the annual dining‑out; he and his staff provided follow-up numbers and materials on tuition assistance, CAP mission data, and planned MilCon projects.