Don Kerr, executive director of the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs, told the Senate subcommittee on Jan. 27 that the Minnesota National Guard includes roughly 13,000 soldiers and airmen and that the state agency oversees about 400 civilian employees who support training sites, security and armories.

"My name is Don Kerr, and I'm the executive director of the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs," Kerr said when he began his overview. Lieutenant Colonel Eric Aftman accompanied him and answered operational questions.

Kerr described the Guard as a dual-status force that serves both state and federal missions and said the department oversees 63 armories in 58 communities, two aviation flight facilities and two air bases. He highlighted Camp Ripley, a 53,000-acre training center near the state's center, as the Guard's primary training installation that also supports emergency-response and interagency training.

Kerr said federal modernization funding will bring an estimated $2.4 billion of equipment investment to Minnesota units over coming years; he described that as an economic and readiness priority for the state. The department reported the Guard has recently carried out international partnerships and rotational overseas missions, and it expects larger deployments in the coming years.

On state budget priorities, Kerr said the governor's request supports several items the department wants: an increase of $2 million in fiscal 2026 and $6 million in fiscal 2027 (an $8 million biennial increase) for enlistment incentives to sustain the state tuition-reimbursement program and other retention tools; funding to sustain a five-person cyber coordination cell established to improve information-sharing between military, civilian and commercial cyber partners; and a short-term state investment to support the Army's Holistic Health and Fitness rollout until federal funding begins.

Kerr also described a request to increase the bonding cap for the Minnesota State Armory Building Commission from $15 million to $45 million, saying higher limits are needed to match federal construction cycles and rising construction costs. He said the department will also seek $3 million in design funding for a Duluth hangar project so the site can compete for federal congressional-directed funding.

The department noted $14 million in prior one-time general-fund support for the Minnesota Military and Veterans Museum and $17.6 million in one-time funds for an Army combat fitness test center; such items have complicated baseline budget comparisons across biennia, Kerr said. He told senators the department typically requests periodic increases for enlistment and reenlistment incentives and that the state's tuition-reimbursement program remains a principal recruiting differential.

Why it matters: The state agency manages training infrastructure and civilian employees who enable the Guard's domestic missions and federal deployments. The modernization funds, construction and incentive requests tie into recruiting, retention and long-term readiness for both state and federal missions.

Kerr answered committee questions about wing sizes and said the 133rd Airlift Wing and 148th Fighter Wing are roughly 1,000-person units each. He closed by urging continued legislative support for enlistment incentives, cyber coordination and capital projects that maintain Minnesota's readiness and the economic impact associated with Guard investments.