D.C. National Guard welcomes new Commanding General

WASHINGTON, DC (01/31/2017) (readMedia)-- Brigadier General William J. Walker assumed the duties as acting Commanding General of the District of Columbia National Guard Jan. 20 at the D.C. National Guard Armory.

Walker will be responsible for the training, operational readiness, command and control and employment of the D.C. Army and Air National Guard units in support of both federal and state active duty missions.

"It is an honor and a privilege to serve in this capacity," said Walker. "I look forward to working with the men and women of the D.C. National Guard and to serving our new commander-in-chief."

Walker becomes the acting commanding general after being the commander of the D.C. Army National Guard's Land Component Command. Prior to this, he was the commander of the D.C. Army National Guard's Mobilization Augmentation Command.

As the D.C. Army Guard, Land Component Commander, Walker was selected to be the commander of the Joint Task Force-District of Columbia which deployed 7,922 National Guard personnel, from 43 states and territories, to support security, traffic and crowd control efforts during the 58th Presidential Inauguration.

"It was truly a great honor to serve as the Joint Task Force Commander for the Inauguration of President Donald J. Trump," said Walker. Our Soldiers and Airmen performed magnificently in providing unmatched civil support to both D.C. and federal agencies."

The Joint Task Force-District of Columbia supported 7, federal and D.C. agencies during the presidential inauguration. National Guard personnel helped monitor the 248 traffic, access and security points, and blocking positions along the National Mall and parade route. The support provided by National Guard personnel enabled the D.C. Metropolitan Police to respond to 217 arrests, and the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Service to conduct 229 responses, 94 hospital transports and numerous medical tent treatments.

"The D.C. National Guard has supported forty Presidential Inaugurations since 1861 with a devotion to duty reflective of the finest traditions and customs of the U.S. military," said Walker. "I simply could not be happier or more proud of our Soldiers' and Airman's performance.

Walker is a career intelligence officer who has spent a majority of his military time as a traditional guardsman in New Jersey, Florida and D.C. National Guards. As a civilian, he was a career special agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration where he was promoted to the Senior Executive Service ranks in 2003 and appointed to the Senior National Intelligence Service in 2009 with the Office of Strategic Warning. He retired from federal service in 2014.

Walker was one of the first D.C. Guardsman to be mobilized after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks as a part of the Army Operations Center in support of Operation Noble Eagle. He also Deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 to serve in three simultaneous positions: The Chief of the Theater Observation Detachment, Senior Liaison to the International Security Assistance Force Commander at the Center for Army Lessons Learned, and a senior military strategist for the office of transition management at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

Additionally, Walker is a member of numerous professional and community service organizations to include Alpha Phi Alpha Public Service Fraternity, American Legion, Association of the United States Army, Foreign Area Officers Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Military Intelligence Corps Associations, National Guard Association of the United States, National Guard Association of the District of Columbia, Reserve Officer's Association and Veterans of Foreign Wars. He is also the Vice Chairman, Board of Directors of the Young Marines.

Walker holds a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He was commissioned through the Army ROTC program at Chicago State University, in 1985, where he also received a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. He also has a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University and a Master of Arts in International Service from American University. He has also completed studies at the Harvard Kennedy School's National and International Security Program for Senior Executives; the George Washington University's Department of Defense, National Security Senior Managers Course; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Seminar XXI International Relations and National Interest Fellowship, and the Inter-American Defense College's Resident Senior Service College.