Fredericksburg Virginia Resident Named Adjutant General of the DC National Guard

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Brig. Gen. Renwick Payne

WASHINGTON, DC (06/07/2012)(readMedia)--  New York Army National Guard Brigadier General (one-star) Renwick Payne, a long time Fredericksburg, Va resident,  has been named deputy director and adjutant general of the District of Columbia National Guard by President Barack Obama.

Payne had been assigned to the National Guard Bureau from 1993 until taking a new assignment with the New York Army National Guard in 2010. Payne served as Deputy Adjutant General of the 16,500-- member New York National Guard and then the Director of Joint Staff, responsible for domestic security operations and responding to natural disasters. He was also responsible for coordinating New York's State Partnership Program with the Republic of South Africa.

During his assignment in New York Payne coordinated the New York National Guard's response to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, which caused massive flooding in the Catskill and Adirondack mountains and flooding in the the Binghamton, NY area. He also oversaw the creation of a Homeland Response Force for Federal Emergency Management Agency Region II which involves Guard troops from New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

He was also responsible for the New York National Guard's standing security force in New York City, Joint Task Force Empire Shield.

Payne, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, joined the New York Army National Guard in 1974. He assumes his new duties in July.

Payne and his wife Carmen have been living in Loudonville, NY, a suburb of Albany.

"Serving as the Diurector of Joint Staff  of New York has been a significantly rewarding assignment. It has been a great addition to bothmy personal and professional experiences while working with the wide variety of Federal, State and local agencies in support of the people of New York," Payne said.

" I am truly humbled by my selection as the Deputy Commanding General of the DC National Guard and Carmen and I are looking forward to working with a new and dynamic team," he added.

"We look forward to benefitting from the wealth of experience that General Payne brings to our organization," said Major General (two-star) Errol R. Schwartz, commander of the DC National Guard. General Schwartz served as the DC National Guard Adjutant General before becoming commanding general.

The President of the United States acts as the commander of the District of Columbia Army and Air National Guard, just as Gov. Andrew Cuomo is the commander of the New York National Guard. The President delegates his command authority to the Secretary of the Army, in this case former New York Congressman John McHugh.

While the Adjutant General in state National Guard's acts as the commander of the force at the direction of the governor, in the District of Columbia National Guard the Adjutant General is the deputy commander.

Payne enlisted in the Army in 1974 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1979 as a member of the New York Army National Guard's 1st Battalion 258th Field Artillery, where he served as a battery executive officer and battery commander.

He deployed to Kuwait in 1990 as the personnel officer of the 369th Transportation battalion in Support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and was assigned to the National Guard Bureau in October 1993.

Among other jobs there he served as military assistant to the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of the Army, Executive Officer to the Director, Army National Guard, Operations Officer Army National Guard, Chief of Staff of the Army National Guard and the Global War on Terrorism Operational Assistant to the Director of the Army National Guard.

Payne holds at Bachelor of Arts Degree from Governor's State University in University Park, Illinois, and attended the United States Army War College and the Joint Task Force Commanders Training Course.

His awards include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with three campaign stars, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Army Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Army Superior Unit Award and Army Staff Identification Badge.