Ohio National Guard Adjutant General

Maj. Gen. John C. Harris, Jr. is the Adjutant General, Ohio National Guard, Joint Force Headquarters, Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of the Governor's cabinet and is responsible for the command of the Ohio National Guard and the military readiness of the Ohio Militia. The Ohio National Guard consists of the Ohio Army National Guard, Ohio Air National Guard, Ohio Military Reserve, and Ohio Naval Militia, totaling more than 16,000 personnel. General Harris leads the flag officer heads of these components in the day-to-day operation and management of the readiness, fiscal, personnel, equipment, and real property resources of the agency.

General Harris began his military career in 1981 when he enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard. He received a commission in 1984 through Officer Candidate School. He has commanded at the platoon, detachment, company, and squadron levels while serving in staff assignments at the battalion, squadron, state area command, and joint force headquarters level. Recent prior assignments include Chief of Staff (Joint Force Headquarters), Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (Joint Force Headquarters), and Commander of Task Force Lancer in Kosovo. Most recently, General John Harris served as the Assistant Adjutant General for Army, OHARNG Element, Joint Force Headquarters, from January 11, 2011 to January 13, 2019. As the Assistant Adjutant General for Army, he was responsible for establishing policies, priorities, and oversight for the readiness of approximately 11,400 Soldiers.