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Nevada National Guard highlights missions, facility investments and youth programs as budget requests go before lawmakers
Summary
Adjutant General Dan Waters and Office of the Military staff briefed the subcommittee on the Guard's recent missions, facility plans including an $18 million federal-funded small-arms range at Hawthorne Army Depot, youth programs and budget enhancement requests for firefighters, mental-health staff and facility operations.
Adjutant General Dan Waters and Office of the Military officials outlined Nevada National Guard missions, facility investments and youth-program priorities while presenting their agency’s budget account requests to the joint subcommittee.
Why it matters: The Office of the Military requested authority and funding for additional firefighters, mental-health clinicians, facility maintenance and expanded armory staffing; lawmakers asked about the stability of federal funding for youth programs and how state and federal money intersect for readiness and facility projects.
Waters told the committee the Guard has supported domestic and international missions in the past year, including C-130 support for Antarctic operations and security details for large events. He said the Guard’s units continue overseas deployments and international partner engagements in the Pacific. He also described an emergent federal partnership to build a small-arms qualification range at Hawthorne Army Depot, saying “$18,000,000 has been invested and secured through our federal congressional delegation” and that the state will be able to qualify Guard members in-state on a federal installation when the range becomes operational in about two years.
Office of the Military financial staff outlined decision units under budget account 3650, including requests to hire seven additional firefighters at the Reno airbase (E300), supply and maintenance staff (E301), psychological health manager and therapist positions (E302), an environmental scientist (E305), and operating costs for a growing Washoe County Armory (E307). Cheryl Tyler, ASO 4, said the Air Guard and Army Guard operations are largely federally funded but that state funds support administrative, security, family services and range operations.
Lawmakers pressed on youth programs. Waters described the Battle Born Youth Challenge Academy in Carlin and STARBASE programs in Henderson and Reno, noting strong demand and waiting lists. He said recent federal budget uncertainty affected STARBASE and Youth Challenge funding earlier in the fiscal year but that, as of the hearing, “youth programs are completely funded” through the remainder of the fiscal year. Waters warned that longer-term federal budget priorities could affect Army-funded training and distributive learning programs and that he is working with Nevada’s congressional delegation to protect funding.
Committee members also asked about a reported enrollment setback at the Youth Challenge Academy linked to an on-campus incident; Waters said seven cadets were removed following a family member bringing marijuana to a family day event and that federal funding caps limit current class sizes.
On emerging capabilities, Waters said the Guard was tentatively selected to host Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft assets in partnership with Nellis Air Force Base, which could bring operational capability in two to three years at little to no cost to the state. He also described federal reimbursement for certain missions — including the Antarctic flight — noting the federal government provided a funding line of accounting to cover costs.
No formal votes were taken during the presentation. The Guard’s budget requests will be considered as part of the Legislature’s wider budget process.
