Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh
The Adjutant General - Washington
Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh is The Adjutant General, Washington National Guard, at Camp Murray, Wash. Maj. Gen. Welsh was appointed as The Adjutant General of Washington on 29 June 2024. General Welsh is the commanding general of all Washington Army and Air National Guard forces and oversees the State’s Emergency Management and Enhanced 911 programs. He also serves as Homeland Security Advisor to the Governor of Washington and as State Administrative Agent for all United States Department of Homeland Security grants awarded to Washington’s state, local, tribal and non-profit agencies and organizations.
General Welsh enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1988. He transferred to the Air National Guard in 1992 and was commissioned as a 2d Lieutenant in 1994. He has held a variety of positions in air support operations and combat communications units, including command positions at the squadron, group, and wing levels. He is a resident graduate of the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, commanded the 242d Combat Communications Squadron and the 252d Combat Communications Group, served as the Chief Information Officer, J6, and Chief of Staff for the Washington National Guard, and commanded the 194th Wing and the Washington Air National Guard.
Maj. Gen. Welsh deployed on multiple occasions with the Washington Air National Guard in support of Operations DESERT SHIELD, SOUTHERN WATCH, JOINT FORGE and IRAQI FREEDOM. He served as the Plans and Implementations Flight Commander for the 363d Expeditionary Communications Squadron at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, from October 1999 to December 1999. He later served as the Contingency Plans Officer, HQ USAFE/A6 at Ramstein AB, Germany, from January 2001 to February 2001. General Welsh also served as the Chief of Network Systems and Contingency Communications, Headquarters NATO Stabilization Force, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, from October 2003 to March 2004. During his latest deployment, he served as the Commander of the 506th Expeditionary Communications Squadron at Kirkuk Regional Air Base/Forward Operating Base Warrior, Iraq, from May 2007 to September 2007. General Welsh served as the 194th Wing Commander from April 2017 to December 2019. Prior to his current position, General Welsh served as the Assistant Adjutant General for Air and Commander, Washington Air National Guard.
EDUCATION
1995 Bachelor of Arts, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Wash.
2001 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. by correspondence
2003 Master of Science, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Wash.
2005 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. by correspondence
2007 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. by correspondence
2014 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2014 Master of Strategic Studies, Air University, Maxwell AFB, Ala.
2021 Senior Leader Orientation Course, Joint Base Andrews, Md.
2022 General & Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Mass
2024 National Security Management Course, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y.
2024 USAF Advanced Senior Leader Development Seminar, Warrenton, Va.
2025 CAPSTONE General and Flag Officer Course, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
June 1988-March 1992: Security Policeman, RAF Lakenheath, U.K. and Fairchild AFB, WA
March 1992-February 1994: Intelligence Operations Specialist, 111th ASOC, Camp Murray, Wash
February 1994-December 1997: Communications Operations Officer, 111th ASOC, Camp Murray, Wash
December 1997-May 2005: Detachment Commander, 256th CBCS, Four Lakes, Wash
May 2005-September 2008: Commander, 242nd CBCS, Spokane International Airport ANG Base, Wash
September 2008-December 2011: Deputy Commander, 252nd Combat Communications Group, Camp Murray, Wash
December 2010-August 2011: Commander (Interim), 252nd Combat Communications Group, Camp Murray, Wash
December 2011-June 2013: Chief Information Officer/J6, Washington National Guard, Camp Murray, Wash
June 2013-May 2014: Student, Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala
May 2014-April 2017: Chief of Staff, Washington National Guard, Camp Murray, Wash
September 2015-April 2017: Vice Commander, 194th Wing, Camp Murray, Wash
April 2017-Dec 2019: Commander, 194th Wing, Camp Murray, Wash
January 2020 - June 2024: Commander and Assistant Adjutant General, Washington Air National Guard, Camp Murray, Wash.; dual-hatted,
August 2023 – August 2024: Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, Manpower and Reserve Affairs (SAF/MR), Washington, D.C.
June 2024 - Present: The Adjutant General, Washington National Guard, and Governor’s Homeland Security Advisor, Camp Murray, Wash.
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Adjutants General Association of the United States
Air Force Association, Life Member
National Guard Association of the United States and Washington, Life Member
Veterans of Foreign Wars, Life Member
American Legion, Life Member
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant Feb. 17, 1994
First Lieutenant Feb. 22, 1996
Captain Feb. 23, 1998
Major Feb. 27, 2002
Lieutenant Colonel July 24, 2006
Colonel May 1, 2013
Brigadier General June 1, 2020
Major General July 31, 2024
(Current as of May 2025)
Former Adjutants General
1855-1856 - James Tilton
1857 - Isaac Ebey
1857-1862 - Franklin Matthias
1863-1866 - George Gallagher
1867-1869 - Amos Tripp
1869-1873 - William Huntington
1873-1879 - Frank Guttenberg
1879-1880 - Andrew Slorah
1881-1882 - M.R. Hathaway
1882 - P.B. Johnson
1883-1895 - R.G. O’ Brien*
1895-1897 - F.A. Boutelle
1897-1898 - J.E. Balbine
1898 - William Canton
1898-1901 - Edward Fox
1901-1906 - James Drain
1906-1909 - Otis Hamilton
1909-1911 - George Lamping
1911-1914 - Fred Llewellyn
1914-1918 - Maurice Thompson**
1918-1919 - Harvey Moss
1920-1941 - Maurice Thompson**
1941-1945 - Walter Delong
1945-1947 - Maurice Thompson**
1947-1949 - Ensly Llewellyn
1949 - Ellsworth French
1949-1957 - Lilburn Stevens
1957-1965 - George Haskett***
1965-1978 - Howard McGee
1978 - Wayne McDaniels
1978-1981 - Robert Collins
1981-1985 - George Coates
1985-1989 - Keith Eggen
1989-1999 - Gregory Barlow
1999-2012 - Timothy Lowenberg
2012-2024 - Bret Daugherty
2024 - Present - Gent Welsh
* R.G. O’ Brien was the adjutant general when Washington became the 42nd state in the Union.
** Maurice Thompson was the adjutant general three times in his career, serving a total of 27 years as the adjutant general, including 21 years between World War I and World War II.
*** George Haskett was the last adjutant general to live on Camp Murray.
