Daniel Robert Hokanson (born June 27, 1963) is a four-star

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

who currently serves as the 29th

chief of the National Guard Bureau The chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) is the highest-ranking officer of the National Guard and the head of the National Guard Bureau. The position is a statutory office (), held by a federally recognized commissioned officer who has serv ...

. He previously served as the 21st director of the Army National Guard. His previous military assignments include serving as

vice chief of the National Guard Bureau The vice chief of the National Guard Bureau (VCNGB) is the second highest-ranking officer of the National Guard Bureau, which is a joint activity of the United States Department of Defense. The vice chief is also the second in charge of the Natio ...

, deputy commander of

United States Northern Command United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) is one of eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense. The command is tasked with providing military support for non-military authorities in the U.S., and protect ...

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the

Oregon National Guard The Oregon Military Department is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, which oversees the armed forces of the state of Oregon. Under the authority and direction of the governor as commander-in-chief, the agency is responsib ...

, and commander of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and

Operation Just Cause Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...

. Hokanson assumed his current assignment on August 3, 2020.

Early life

Daniel Robert Hokanson was born in Happy Camp, California on June 27, 1963, the son of Bob and Diann (Kieffer) Hokanson. He graduated from Happy Camp High School in 1980, and attended the

College of the Siskiyous College of the Siskiyous (COS) is a public community college with campuses in Weed and Yreka in Siskiyou County in Northern California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System, serving as the northernmost college in the state of ...

before being accepted to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

at West Point, New York.

Military career

Hokanson graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

in 1986 and was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the Aviation branch. During his time at West Point and the period immediately afterwards he completed: Level C Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) Course; Aviation Officer Basic Course; Air Assault School; and Initial Entry Rotary Wing Flight Training (Aeroscout). He is also a graduate of the

United States Army Airborne School The United States Army Airborne School – widely known as Jump School – conducts the basic paratrooper (military parachutist) training for the United States Armed Forces. It is operated by the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 507th Infantry, Unit ...

. Hokanson then served for several years as an aviator with the 7th Infantry Division at

Fort Ord Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, m ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, including deployment to

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

for

in 1989–90. In 1991 he completed the Aviation Officer Advanced Course and AH-64 (Apache) Combat Aircraft Qualification Course. He subsequently served with 1st Battalion,

229th Aviation Regiment The 229th Aviation Regiment is an aviation unit of the United States Army. 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion and 229th Aviation Battalion The unit was constituted on 18 March 1964 in the Regular Army as the 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, ...

Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarters ...

, including command of the battalion's Company B, and then served as a project engineer for the Aircraft Armament Test Division at

Yuma Proving Ground Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) is a United States Army series of environmentally specific test centers with its Yuma Test Center being one of the largest military installations in the world. It is subordinate to the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Army National Guard

Hokanson left the Regular Army in July 1995 and was a member of the

Army Reserve A military reserve force is a military organization whose members have military and civilian occupations. They are not normally kept under arms, and their main role is to be available when their military requires additional manpower. Reserve ...

Control Group until October. Hokanson then began his career as a member of the

Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...

, assigned initially as aide-de-camp in the office of Oregon's

. His later assignments included: operations officer, 641st Medical Battalion (Helicopter Evacuation); aviation operations officer,

Oregon Army National Guard The Oregon Army National Guard is a federally mandated and equipped military organization under the civilian direction of the Oregon Military Department, with the Governor of Oregon as its Commander-in-Chief. It responds to state and national eme ...

; plans analyst, Program Analysis and Evaluation Division,

National Guard Bureau The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was cre ...

; executive officer, 641st Medical Battalion (Evacuation Helicopter), Oregon Army National Guard; deputy director, Army Aviation, Oregon Army National Guard; commander, 641st Medical Battalion (Helicopter Evacuation), Oregon Army National Guard; chief of staff, Combined Joint

Task Force Phoenix Task Force Phoenix, or more properly known as Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix (CJTF Phoenix), was an international military formation. It was organized by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) in 2003-2004 to train and mentor the newly cre ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

; deputy commander, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard; and commander, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, including deployment as part of

Multi-National Corps – Iraq Multi-National Corps – Iraq (MNC-I) was a formerly multinational, later U.S. only, army corps created on 15 May 2004, fighting the Iraq War. Its superior body, the Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) had replaced Combined Joint Task Force 7 on ...

General officer

John Kitzhaber administers the oath of office to Oregon’s new adjutant general, Maj

In 2010 Hokanson was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. His assignments as a general officer included: deputy director, Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5), North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command; and director, Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5), National Guard Bureau. Hokanson was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in May 2013. From August 2013 to July 2015 he served as adjutant general of the

Oregon Military Department The Oregon Military Department is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, which oversees the armed forces of the state of Oregon. Under the authority and direction of the governor as commander-in-chief, the agency is responsib ...

. In June 2015, Hokanson was nominated by the

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, for appointment to the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in the reserve active-duty, while serving as the deputy commander of

and as vice commander of U.S. Element,

North American Aerospace Defense Command North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

, at

Peterson Air Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home to the Nor ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. Hokanson's nomination for appointment as the 11th

was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on September 15, 2016. He assumed office in November 2016.

Director of the Army National Guard

In March 2019, the president nominated Hokanson to succeed Timothy J. Kadavy as director of the Army National Guard. Hokanson assumed his new duties in a ceremony on June 21, 2019. In June 2020, the adjutant general of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Jon A. Jensen Jon A. Jensen (born 1963) is a Lieutenant general (United States), lieutenant general in the United States Army. He currently serves as the 22nd Army National Guard#Leadership, director of the Army National Guard. He previously served as the Sta ...

was nominated to succeed him as Army Guard director.

Chief of the National Guard Bureau

In May 2020, Hokanson was nominated for appointment to the rank of

and assignment as the

. He was confirmed by the Senate on July 20, 2020 and assumed office on August 3, 2020.

Awards and decorations

Assignments

#July 1986 – July 1987, Student, Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (Level C – Fort Bragg); Aviation Officer Basic Course; Air Assault School; Initial Entry Rotary Wing Flight Training (Aeroscout);

Fort Rucker Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training installation for U.S. Army Aviators and ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

#July 1987 – March 1988, Executive Officer, Troop B, 2nd Squadron (RECON), 9th Cavalry, 7th Infantry Division (LIGHT),

#March 1988 – May 1989, Scout Platoon Leader, Troop B, 2nd Squadron (RECON), 9th Cavalry, 7th Infantry Division (LIGHT), Fort Ord, California and the Republic of

#May 1989 – August 1990, Flight Operations Officer and 3rd Infantry Brigade Aviation Liaison Officer, 2nd Squadron (RECON), 9th Cavalry, 7th Infantry Division (LIGHT), Fort Ord, California and the Republic of Panama #October 1990 – June 1991, Student, Aviation Officer Advanced Course and AH-64 Combat Aircraft Qualification Course, Fort Rucker, Alabama #June 1991 – October 1992, Assistant S3, 1st Battalion,

(Attack),

Apache The Apache () are a group of culturally related Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, which include the Chiricahua, Jicarilla, Lipan, Mescalero, Mimbreño, Ndendahe (Bedonkohe or Mogollon and Nednhi or Carrizaleño an ...

Training Brigade,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

#October 1992 – June 1994, Commander, Company B, 1st Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment (Attack),

XVIII Airborne Corps The XVIII Airborne Corps is a corps of the United States Army that has been in existence since 1942 and saw extensive service during World War II. The corps is designed for rapid deployment anywhere in the world and is referred to as "America ...

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

#June 1994 – April 1995 Project Engineer, Aircraft Armament Test Division,

#July 1995 – October 1995,

Control Group (Ready Reserve) #October 1995 – September 1996, Aide-de-Camp, Office of The Adjutant General, Oregon National Guard,

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

#October 1996 – September 1997, Operations Officer, 641st Medical Battalion (EVAC), Oregon Army National Guard, Salem, Oregon #October 1997 – December 1998, Aviation Operations Officer, Oregon Army National Guard, Salem, Oregon #December 1998 – June 1999, Student, Naval Postgraduate School,

Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...

#July 1999 – July 2000, Plans Analyst, Program Analysis and Evaluation Division, National Guard Bureau,

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

#July 2000 – June 2001, Student, College of Naval Command and Staff, Naval War College,

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

#June 2001 – June 2002, Executive Officer, 641st Medical Battalion (EVAC), Oregon Army National Guard, Salem, Oregon #June 2002 – June 2004, Deputy Director, Army Aviation, Headquarters State Area Command, Oregon Army National Guard, Salem, Oregon #July 2004 – June 2005, Commander, 641st Medical Battalion (EVAC), Oregon Army National Guard, Salem, Oregon #July 2005 – July 2006, Student, Senior Service College Fellowship, Harvard University,

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

#August 2006 – July 2007, Chief of Staff, Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix V, Afghanistan #July 2007 – March 2008, Deputy Commander, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard,

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

#March 2008 – July 2010, Commander, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Corps – Iraq, and Oregon Army National Guard, Portland, Oregon #August 2010 – August 2012, Deputy Director, J5, North American Aerospace Defense Command and United States Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado #August 2012 – July 2013, Director, Strategic Plans and Policy (J-5), National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia #August 2013 – July 2015, The Adjutant General, Oregon, Joint Force Headquarters, Oregon National Guard, Salem, Oregon #August 2015 – September 2016, Deputy Commander, U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado #September 2016 – June 2019,

Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau The vice chief of the National Guard Bureau (VCNGB) is the second highest-ranking officer of the National Guard Bureau, which is a joint activity of the United States Department of Defense. The vice chief is also the second in charge of the Natio ...

, Arlington, Virginia #June 2019 – August 2020, Director of the Army National Guard, Arlington, Virginia #August 2020 – present, Chief, National Guard Bureau, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia

Education

Hokanson is a 1986 graduate of the

, and received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

(

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

). In 2000 he completed a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

international security International security, also called global security is a term which refers to the measures taken by states and international organizations, such as the United Nations, European Union, and others, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These meas ...

and civil-military relations at the

Naval Postgraduate School The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California. It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...

. In 2001 he graduated from the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

with a master of arts in

national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...

and strategic studies. Hokanson completed the Senior Service College National Security Fellowship Program at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

in 2006. In 2011 he completed the CAPSTONE leadership course at the

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...

Aviation qualifications

In addition to completion of the Aviation Officer Basic and Advanced Courses and Initial Entry Rotary Wing Flight Training (Aeroscout), Hokanson's aviation qualifications include: *Rating: Command Pilot *Flight Hours: More than 2600 (over 50 combat hours) *Aircraft Flown:

AH-64 The Boeing AH-64 Apache () is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night visi ...

OH-58 The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine single-rotor military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. It was produced by the American manufacturer Bell Helicopter and is closely related to the Model 206A ...

, TH-55,

UH-1 The Bell UH-1 Iroquois (nicknamed "Huey") is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the first member of the prolific Huey family, as well as the first turbine-powered helic ...

UH-60 The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System ( ...

*Pilot wings from: Fort Rucker, Alabama

Effective dates of promotion

Family

Hokanson is married to Kelly M. (Triplett) Hokanson. They are the parents of three children, daughter Victoria, and sons Daniel Jr. and McKinnon. All three Hokanson children pursued careers in the military.

References

External links

Biography, Daniel R. Hokanson
at
National Guard Bureau General Officer Management Office
'
Biography, Daniel R. Hokanson
at
United States Northern Command
' * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hokanson, Daniel R. 1963 births Living people People from Happy Camp, California People from Keizer, Oregon Chiefs of the National Guard Bureau National Guard (United States) generals United States Army personnel of the Iraq War United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) United States Military Academy alumni American Master Army Aviators Naval Postgraduate School alumni Naval War College alumni Harvard Kennedy School alumni National Defense University alumni United States Army generals Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit Recipients of the Soldier's Medal Recipients of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal Military personnel from California Military personnel from Oregon