Vermont National Guard outlines recruitment shortfalls, construction needs in Appropriations briefing
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Summary
The House Appropriations Committee heard Feb. 4 briefing from Major General Greg Knight and Finance Director Kim Bailey on the Vermont National Guard's FY27 requests, highlighting 700+ Army Guard vacancies, growth of the Tuition Benefit and enlistment incentive programs, requests for six maintenance positions, and major construction work on the Linden Readiness Center.
Major General Greg Knight and Kim Bailey told the House Appropriations Committee on Feb. 4 that the Vermont National Guard faces persistent recruiting and retention shortfalls while managing multiple construction projects and service programs funded largely with federal dollars.
Knight, who identified himself as Major General Greg Knight, said the Guard balances a state mission to support the governor with federal deployments, and described recent activity including Air Guard training in Okinawa, Guam and South Korea and a short-notice Title 10 mobilization in support of U.S. Southern Command. He said roughly 60 airmen mobilized to multiple countries across three combatant commands this past year and that 160 members of an 86th Brigade element recently mobilized to Germany for multinational training in support of Ukraine.
"They were asked for by name," Knight said of some recent mobilizations, a remark he used to illustrate high operational demand for Vermont Guard units.
Bailey, the military department's finance director, told the committee the department employs about 170 staff, carries a general-fund budget of roughly $7.5 million and brings in between $40 million and $60 million in federal funding annually through cooperative agreements with the National Guard Bureau. She outlined five state appropriations (administration; air services; army services; building maintenance; veterans'affairs) and said most program funds are federal except for some facilities and environmental work.
On personnel, Knight said the Army National Guard currently shows more than 700 vacant positions and that force-structure changes toward lighter, more mobile units will reduce the state's authorized force footprint and require transition work for affected soldiers. "We will reduce our overall force structure by about 727 positions," he said, adding those positions are vacant now and that the transition could both help and complicate retention.
Committee members pressed for details on compensation. Knight and Bailey said pay scales are set at the federal level (GS pay grades were discussed) and that relocation or retention incentives depend on whether funds are available through National Guard Bureau. Bailey said the Air Guard has received incentive money while the Army Guard had not, limiting the state's ability to recruit and retain specialized technicians.
Recruiting programs the presenters highlighted include the Tuition Benefit Program and the Joint Enlistment Enhancement Program (JEEP). Bailey said the Tuition Benefit Program has expanded since 2019 and that the FY27 budget request for that program is about $1.2 million; participation over recent years has been roughly 103'108 users. On JEEP, Knight and Bailey said the program accounted for about 40% of Army National Guard accessions in federal fiscal 2025 and that only $70,000 is currently in the base state budget for the program; they asked the committee to consider a small increase to sustain the incentive work.
Bailey also outlined a set of FY27 requests aimed at facilities upkeep and operations: six new maintenance-related positions (four military maintenance specialists, one military building construction specialist to coordinate contracting and scheduling, and one military storekeeper for warehouse operations at Ethan Allen Firing Range). She said the department will seek modest general-fund increases to support that work.
On capital projects, Bailey said the department manages 28 active construction contracts totaling about $43 million, with roughly $24 million allocated to the Linden Readiness Center project. She said bid prices exceeded the project's early estimate and that National Guard Bureau added approximately $3 million and a subsequent congressional add provided about $2 million to cover cost increases and expand project scope.
On veterans services, Bailey said the department oversees six veteran service officer positions (four regularly filled), that those staff assisted veterans in securing about $10 million in federal benefits last year, and that the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery has expanded; Bailey asked for additional general-fund support to cover growing seasonal staffing and equipment needs. She said cemetery special-fund revenue (VA interment payments and plot sales) yields roughly $120,000'$140,000 annually but is being outpaced by operating demands.
The presenters also reported a small FY26 budget adjustment to revert unused Tuition Benefit funds back to the general fund (an FY25 VSAC balance) and described delays and remaining glitches in transitioning the department's business office to the state's Vermont Buys procurement system; Bailey said integration is about 90% complete but still requires help-desk work to resolve bugs.
The committee paused after the briefing and thanked the presenters; no committee votes or formal actions were recorded during the segment.
The committee may consider the department's specific appropriation requests as part of broader FY27 budget deliberations in coming weeks.
