In 2018, the National Guard’s tuition assistance program nearly ran out of money.
The state’s Emergency Commission approved a temporary funding plan – and the 2019 Legislature increased the amount for the current two year period.
"Recruiting is up in both the Air and the Army Guard," said North Dakota National Guard Adjutant General Alan Dohrmann.
Dohrmann said the retention of Guard personnel has always been great.
"We have great citizen soldiers and airmen," Dohrmann said. " We make a huge investment in these folks' training."
Dohrmann said while tuition assistance is a good recruiting tool, it isn’t the number one reason people join the Guard.
"They join to serve, and to give back," Dohrmann said. "But it (tuition assistance) can often be the tipping point to get them into the Guard."
Dohrmannn said the Guard still has openings in a number of areas.
"If there's a couple hundred more North Dakotans who want to be a part of the National Guard, I've got jobs for you," Dohrmann said. "We have everything you can think of -- from truck drivers and engineers to cyber, and potentially space down the road. We have a lot of opportunities for young people."
Dohrmann said the Guard is looking to fill its units.
"Full units mean ready units," Dohrmann said.
Dohrmann also said the Guard must protect what we have here in North Dakota.
"If there is a historic flood, like we had in '09 and '11, we have the right kind of soldiers with the right kind of equipment, and the right kind of airmen with the right equipment to support our civilian authorities."
