Pres. Obama appoints Brig. Gen. Payne deputy director, adjutant general of the D.C. Guard

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Brig. Gen. Renwick Payne was appointed by Pres. Obama to be the deputy director and adjutant general of the D.C. National Guard.

WASHINGTON, DC (06/07/2012)(readMedia)-- Pres. Obama has appointed Brig. Gen. Renwick Payne to be deputy director and adjutant general of the District of Columbia National Guard.

Payne, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, joined the New York Army National Guard in 1974 and served at the National Guard Bureau in Washington from 1993 to 2009 when he returned to New York as Deputy Adjutant General of the National Guard in January 2010.

He served as Director of Joint Staff for the New York Guard before his appointment to the D.C. Guard. He was responsible for coordinating the New York Army and Air Guard's response to disasters and assistance to civil authorities at the direction of the governor.

Payne is also responsible for oversight of the New York National Guard's State Partnership Program association with the military forces of the Republic of South Africa.

He assumes his new duties with the DC Guard, which consists of about 2,500 soldiers and airmen, in July. The D.C. Army Guard consists of a number of company-level units organized under the 74th Troop Command as well as a Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, training units, support units, and an aviation unit. The D.C. Air National Guard is built around the 113th Wing which includes fighter aircraft charged with protecting the capital and VIP transport aircraft.

Payne and his wife Carmen have been living in Loudonville, N.Y. He also has a house in Fredericksburg, Va., and his new job will allow him to reside there. He and his wife have three sons.

"Serving as the DJS of New York has been a significantly rewarding assignment," Payne said. "It has been a great addition to both my personal and professional experiences while working with the wide variety of Federal, State and local agencies."

He added that he is humbled by his selection to serve in the D.C. Guard.

"Carmen and I are looking forward to working with a new and dynamic team," he said.

"We look forward to benefitting from the wealth of experience that General Payne brings to our organization," said Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, commanding general 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. He delegates his command authority to the Secretary of the Army, in this case former New York Congressman John McHugh.

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 U.S. 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.