Air Force Brig. Gen. Mitchell Johnson has been selected to serve as the next adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard and director of the N.D. Department of Emergency Services, effective Sept. 15, 2024. (U.S. Air Force)
(Tribune News Service) — Brig. Gen. Mitchell Johnson will be the next leader of North Dakota’s National Guard, Gov. Doug Burgum announced on Thursday.
Johnson, who most recently served as commander of the Fargo-based 119th Wing of the state’s Air National Guard, will serve as the Guard’s next adjutant general as well as director of the Department of Emergency Services. He’s succeeding Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann and will begin the role on Sept. 15.
Johnson led the 119th Wing from March 2021 to this past January, overseeing around 1,200 personnel. He previously served as vice commander of the wing for more than two years, and has served in a variety of other command and flying roles in North Dakota, Florida, Oklahoma and Arkansas since 1998.
He’s an alumnus of Michigan Tech University and University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, and has graduated from Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and the Air War College. Johnson has also logged more than 5,000 flight hours, including more than 1,000 in combat, and has served overseas in six deployments. He said in a statement that his selection for the role is a “tremendous honor” and he looks forward to serving the state.
Dohrmann, Johnson’s predecessor, is bringing his four-decade military career to a close later this year. In April, he announced his intent to retire on Sept. 30. He was first appointed by then-Gov. Jack Dalrymple to lead the state’s National Guard in December 2015, then reappointed by Burgum in 2018. He helped lead the state’s response to protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016 and 2017, and supported the state’s Department of Health and Human Services and local public health agencies amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burgum praised Johnson in the statement, saying that the state’s National Guard will “continue to play an important role in national security” under his leadership while also supporting North Dakota residents.
“Johnson has demonstrated exceptional leadership during his 12 years of active duty in the Air Force and 15 years in the National Guard, and he will serve our state and its citizens incredibly well as the 22nd adjutant general in North Dakota history,” the governor said.
The state’s National Guard has approximately 4,200 service members, and facilities in 13 communities.
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