[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 135 (Thursday, July 30, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S4631]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO MAJOR GENERAL JON JENSEN

 Ms. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the career 
of Minnesota Adjutant General Jon Jensen and to congratulate him on the 
next step in his career. On Friday, Major General Jensen will be 
promoted to lieutenant general and become our Nation's next Director of 
the Army National Guard. In this position he will oversee the national 
activities of the Army National Guard and work to ensure the Army Guard 
remains one of our finest public institutions.
  General Jensen joined the Iowa National Guard's 168th Infantry 
Regiment in 1989 before later transferring to the Minnesota National 
Guard in 2002. Through hard work and dedication, he rose to become the 
Minnesota National Guard's 31st Adjutant General in November, 2017. In 
this role, General Jensen has served as the head of Minnesota's Army 
and Air National Guard, where he has demonstrated the highest levels of 
duty, honor, and service.
  I have had the pleasure of working with General Jensen during my time 
in office at the State and Federal levels. He is a proven leader who 
has seen the Minnesota Guard through deployments, natural disasters, 
and preparing the Minnesota Guard to meet future challenges. We worked 
closely to preserve the National Guard's access to the Readiness and 
Environment Protection Initiative, REPI, a program which both ensures 
the Guard's ability to carry out critical training and also works to 
conserve the natural habitat surrounding military bases. General Jensen 
has been a strong advocate for this program and worked with my office 
to ensure National Guard installations across the Nation have continued 
access to the REPI Program. This is just one example that demonstrates 
General Jensen's dedication to service which makes him an outstanding 
choice to be the next Director of the Army National Guard.
  In addition to the outstanding job General Jensen has done running 
the Minnesota National Guard, he is also inspiring, intelligent, and 
optimistic--all important qualities in a strong leader and qualities 
that have helped General Jensen make outstanding contributions 
throughout his more than 30 years of service. Given his strong 
qualifications, leadership qualities, and extensive experience, I 
cannot think of a better candidate to become our Nation's next Director 
of the Army National Guard.
  On behalf of myself and all Minnesotans, thank you for your dedicated 
service to Minnesota and our Nation. I know you will excel in your new 
role, and I look forward to continuing to work with you for many years 
to come.

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