Kentucky National Guard general promoted, ground broken on new facility

Tuesday, Kentucky's Adjutant General was promoted and ground was broken on the new Joint Force Headquarters

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – It’s a big day for the Kentucky National Guard.

Tuesday, Kentucky’s Adjutant General Hal Lamberton was promoted by Governor Beshear to the rank of Major General.

Major General Lamberton says the promotion will help him as he advocates for the Kentucky National Guard and the Commonwealth outside of the state.

“When I go up to the National Guard Bureau in DC, when I go up to the Pentagon in DC, folks looking upon the Adjutant General as a 2-star as opposed to just a 1-star, quite simply, gains them a bit more credibility. The offices and the other people you might engage with are more inclined to be attentive to whatever you have to say,” said Major General Lamberton.

Following Major General Lamberton’s promotion, the Kentucky National Guard broke ground on its new Joint Force Headquarters at the Boone National Guard Center alongside state and local officials.

According to Major General Hal Lamberton, the new facility will help continue the Kentucky National Guard’s viability in the community and the nation.

“It really is pertinent to the viability of the Kentucky National Guard. Not just for the Commonwealth here and our response from everything…to the pandemic support that we’ve been engaged with, to domestic operations or literally overseas operations, ” said Major General Lamberton.

Planning for the Joint Force Headquarters has been in the works for more than 20 years.

“The Joint Force Headquarters that we currently operate out of is a shared building with the folks in our Department of Military Affairs, command leadership for the Kentucky National Guard, and it’s also our Emergency Operations Center…it’s a ‘busting at the seams’ sort of dynamic. Literally each one of those entities I just described to you are all crammed into the one space. This will enable us to spread out a little bit more,” said Major General Lamberton.

The project is expected to cost about $15.6 million, and will be largely federally funded. The facility will be about 63, 725 square feet.

“This will be the first structure in the history of the National Guard built just for the command of the Guard. This structure will make a real difference in the way you work together to serve and protect our great Commonwealth. And you all deserve it,” said Governor Beshear.

The facility is expected to be complete in September of 2023.