One of Sean Parnell’s final acts as governor was to remove the adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard. The cause was a federal investigation documenting problems with fraud and the handling of sexual assault. Now, a new adjutant general is tasked with restoring trust in the force. At a pair of confirmation hearings on Tuesday, Laurie Hummel was asked about her plans for reforming the Guard, and went through a personal line of questioning along the way.
During her first confirmation hearings before the Legislature, Adjutant General Designee Laurie Hummel was asked a lot of the standards, like what leadership is (“People believe in your abilities, they believe in your principles, and they want to follow you”) and what’s the timeline for National Guard reform (“I don’t believe it will be completed this session”).
She was asked about terrorism and drones, her tenure at West Point and her academic background in geography. She walked the committees through her 12-page C.V., which lists four graduate degrees and 17 military medals and awards — including a Legion of Merit. She talked about her service in Afghanistan and work with NATO.
But in addition to her resume and her policy positions, Hummel was also questioned on her personal life. Hummel’s military background comes from her 30-year career in the Army.
Via alaskapublic.org
image credit Alaska Star
