Major General John C. Harris Jr. commands Ohio’s National Guard forces. One of Governor Dewine’s new appointees, the career Guardsman says the expectations of Ohio’s military force has changed over the years.

"Quite frankly, we didn’t have any anticipation of going anywhere or doing any serious missions,” says Harris. “Today, that’s turned on its head.”

The Cleveland native has spent his entire 38-year career in the Ohio National Guard. In his office is a wide finished wood table with a glass top covering dozens of challenge coins from all over the world. He says challenge coins in a way represent the people he’s met along the way, and his office is full of mementos and awards from his time in service.

Though his father also served in the guard,  he didn’t start out wanting a lifetime military career.

“I needed help paying for school, so I was going to be that person who enlisted, did my time and got out,” says Harris. “I’ve come through the ranks but I went to basic training in 1981, absolutely fell in love with the military and have been here ever since.”

He says he still has that love today.

“I love the structure. I’m a person who really thrives on teamwork. And, that defines everything we’re about that cohesion,” says Harris. “That sense of that person to your left and right that you have to trust with everything that’s near and dear to you including your life in some case. The fact that leaders are accountable for the mission the no fail aspects of our missions all of those things are attractive to me and they keep me energized to this day.”

Ohio National Guard personnel fulfill two main directives - supporting disaster relief in Ohio and other states, and supporting defense missions abroad.

“We like to say the sun never sets on the Ohio National guard because there are people deployed from the Ohio National Guard at any given time,” says Harris.

Harris says his troops have supported hurricane relief operations, currently work to secure the nation’s Capitol, and participate in numerous defense missions globally. He says the engagement of the Ohio National Guard forces in national defense speaks to the professionalism and quality of the mostly part-time forces.

“They have jobs, they’re lawyers, they’re doctors, they’re teachers, they’re welders,” says Harris. “They have their civilian profession and then they come here and do their military job.”  

Harris says having that blend of experience is a benefit to the guard.

“It makes our forces just incredibly innovative and adaptive because not only do those people learn their military skill and they master that craft to the same level as their active duty counterparts, but they also bring those civilian skills into the mix,” says Harris.

As for the priorities of the guard under Major General Harris.

“Readiness is number one,” says Harris. “Number two, what can we do too add value to the people of this state. And, number three, how can we innovate to make the best use of the resources both for the country and for the state of Ohio.”

He says that readiness is the priority for anyone in his role, especially when sending troops to missions abroad.

“When we send forces to the geographic combatant commanders all over the world our forces have to be able to perform the mission to the exact same standards as active duty counterparts,” says Harris. “That’s a very important mandate and we take it very seriously.”

Harris did say that recent news of orders for national guard troops being deployed to the border haven’t come to Ohio yet.

“Right now Ohio has nobody on the border, but if we were to get that call and have an order for troops to report to the southern border we would certainly respond to that call,” says Harris.

For priority two, Harris wants the guard to use its resources to help the governor solve some of ohio’s complex problems...like opioid abuse and overdose.

“We’ve got 17,000 people there who are educators in high schools, as I mentioned they are physicians, they are lawyers,” says Harris. “They touch every aspect of society and we need to unleash that power to help reduce the demand for all sorts of substances out there.”

And three - pushing innovative solutions.

“We’ve gotta find ways to not only use electronics and technology to make what we do better for the citizens of the state. But, we also have to innovate what we do for other agencies,” says Harris.  

And, he says that he hopes the Guard will grow and take on even more missions.

“To look over the horizon for things like cyber,” says Harris. “How do we get involved in more of the unmanned systems and bring them here to the state? Coupled with the fact that we have a lot of universities here, a huge aerospace technology base here, so we’ve got the ability to bring stuff...federal assets here, not just for the guard, but additional resources say for NASA Glenn, for Wright-Patt Air Force Base."

After a long career serving both Ohio and the country, Harris says he recognizes what’s on the line in his role.

“It means a lot of sleepless nights.” says Harris. “It does, because it’s an incredible honor to hold this position. But, I have 17,000 men and women that have been turned over to this organization that we are responsible for.”

One of those, his daughter, just became a first lieutenant in Ohio’s Air National Guard. Harris has had many important missions in his nearly 40 year career, but he says those he’s tasked with as Adjutant General - are critical.

“We can never fail those are no-fail missions,” says Harris. “So it’s an incredible responsibility, and I’m following on the heels of some fantastic leaders who have sat in this chair to ensure that happens. It’s an incredible responsibility that we as military leaders can never, ever take lightly.”