MG Gus L. Hargett, The Adjutant General
Major General Gus L. Hargett, Jr. is the 74th Adjutant General of Tennessee. General Hargett was appointed to the state’s top military position in 2002, and reappointed by Governor Phil Bredesen in 2003. He is responsible for the supervision of the Military Department of Tennessee that includes the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and the Tennessee State Guard.
General Hargett enlisted in the Tennessee Army National Guard August 31, 1962, serving as an enlisted infantry soldier. Upon completion of Officer Candidate School (Tennessee Military Academy), he was commissioned an infantry officer on August 6, 1966.
General Hargett has served in various staff and leadership assignments within the Tennessee Army National Guard and the National Guard Bureau to include assignments as the Assistant Adjutant General, Army; Chief, Mobilization Plans with the III US Corps; Chief, Plans Division Fifth US Army; and Chief, Overseas Deployment Training, HQ, US Army Europe; during Desert Shield / Desert Storm served as Chief Operations/Exercise Division, National Guard Bureau; War College Fellowship, Ohio State, and currently serves as a member of Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee. General Hargett has the distinction of being the first National Guard officer to attend the resident NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy. General Hargett is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board, National Guard Association of the United States.
BG J. W. Noles, Assistant Adjutant General, Army
Brigadier General J. W. Noles is the Assistant Adjutant General, Army, Tennessee National Guard. He is responsible for the training and supervision of the more than 10,600 soldiers in the Tennessee Army National Guard.
A native of Huntingdon, General Noles graduated from Cumberland University in Lebanon, receiving a BBA degree in Business Administration, and a Masters Degree in Human Relations Management.
General Noles’ military education includes Officer Candidate School at Tennessee Military Academy, the Armor Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, and the Command and General Staff College. He is a 1998 graduate of the United States Naval War College with a Master of Arts in National Security.
Brig. Gen. William R. Cotney, Assistant Adjutant General, Air
An Alabama native, General Cotney served as the Commander of the 164th Airlift Wing, at Memphis, Tennessee prior to assuming his current position. General Cotney received his commission through Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas in August 1971 and received his Pilot Wings from Lauglin AFB, Texas in October 1972. General Cotney is a Command Pilot with over 10,000 flying hours in C-7A, C-130A, C-130H, C141B, C141C & Boeing 727 Aircraft. General Cotney served in an activated status for 12 months during Operation Enduring Freedom in Germany, executing the European Strategic Intra-theater Deployment Mission re-supplying the Area of Operation for the Middle East.
Maj Gen (Ret) James H. Bassham, Director, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
Major General (Ret.) James H. Bassham is the Director, Tennessee
Emergency Management Agency, Military Department of Tennessee.
Major General Bassham served as the Assistant Adjutant General,
Air, Tennessee National Guard from 1995 to 2002. The TEMA
Director is charged with the responsibility for insuring the state and
its local governments are prepared to deal with the disasters and
emergencies that affect the state and its citizens. In addition to the
responsibility to help insure that the citizens of Tennessee are as
prepared to deal with emergencies and their consequences as
possible.
The general entered the Air Force in 1963 following graduation from
the University of Arkansas as an Air Force Reserve Officer Training
Corps Distinguished Graduate. He was released from active duty in
1969 and joined the Tennessee Air National Guard in 1970. He has commanded squadrons, groups, and a wing prior
to assuming his position as Assistant Adjutant General in February 1995.
BG David E. Greer, Deputy Adjutant General
Brigadier General David E. Greer is the Deputy Adjutant General for the Military Department, State of Tennessee and also serves as the Deputy Commanding General-ARNG, U. S. Army Field Artillery Center, Fort Sill, OK. General Greer was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He is responsible to assist in the supervision of the Military Department of Tennessee that includes the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, and the Tennessee State Guard. General Greer graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, and was commissioned as Second Lieutenant, Field Artillery, United States Army. He is currently a member of the Executive Council of the National Guard Association of the United States.