Updated at 6:47 p.m.
SOUTH BURLINGTON – On a makeshift stage flanked by a Black Hawk helicopter and an F-35, Maj. Gen. Henry “Hank” Harder took command of the Vermont National Guard on Saturday.
The ceremony in a cavernous metal hangar at the 158th Fighter Wing marked his assumption of leadership from Maj. Gen. Gregory C. Knight, who is retiring after seven years as adjutant general.
Harder assumes leadership of the roughly 2,700-member guard as the force faces heightened attention about overseas deployments, including confirmation this week that Vermont Air National Guard members are participating in the U.S. war in Iran. Harder was elected by the state legislature in February.
Saturday’s ceremony was marked by nostalgia and reflection, as Knight, Harder and Gov. Phil Scott addressed a crowd of about 500 people, some in pearls and others in fatigues and desert boots. A video recapping Knight’s time as leader of the guard drew tears from some in the crowd.
But the day was also shadowed by the perilous position of the hundreds of Vermont guard members currently deployed to the war in Iran.
“I want to recognize those who cannot be with us today,” Harder said in his remarks at the ceremony, “many of them in harm’s way.”
Knight also called out deployed members of the guard and their families in his remarks, as did Scott.
“None of us can predict where this will end,” Knight said.
Members were previously deployed to the Caribbean as part of an operation against Venezuela.
Vermont’s federal congressional delegation has decried the war in Iran, arguing that it is unconstitutional. A survey released this week indicated that 64% of Vermont respondents opposed the U.S. attack on Iran.
“I wanted to be here because I know Vermonters and families of service members are concerned that we don’t know the scope of this mission, or the reasons, at this time.” Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., said in an interview at the ceremony. “Especially when we’re at war, I wanted to be here to show my support.”
In an interview after the ceremony, Harder said a few hundred members of the Vermont guard have been deployed to Iran, but he couldn’t comment on the legality of the conflict.
“Our job is to be ready for any missions, so we do that. And then we rely on the executive branch, and the legislative branch and the judicial branch, to make sure that we’re doing missions that are appropriate.”
Harder said he didn’t know when guard members deployed to Iran would return home.
“While we don’t have control of them while they’re out of the state of Vermont, we can certainly leverage our resources for the families, and we’ve been doing that,” Harder said. “We’re supporting them from afar, and we know what it’s like. We look forward to them completing their mission and coming home.”
Harder previously served as assistant adjutant general for air before retiring from that role in August 2025. Earlier in his career, he flew combat missions in Iraq with the guard’s 134th Fighter Squadron.
Knight led the guard through a period that included pandemic and flood response missions, overseas deployments and major infrastructure investments at guard facilities across the state.
Correction: A previous version of this story credited the photographs to the wrong person.
