Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Wednesday her intentions to nominate Brigadier General John Stubbs as Secretary of War, Deputy Secretary of the Arkansas National Guard, and Maj. Gen. Kendall Penn as Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I am appointing two distinguished individuals who have decades of military experience and will lead with honor and integrity. As Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs,” Sanders said. “BG Stubbs’ extensive Army National Guard experience confirms that Arkansas and our nation are ready to serve, and that he will clearly lead the Department of Defense as a lieutenant general to ensure our airmen and soldiers are ready. Maj. Gen. Penn has done a great job leading our Department of Defense, so I am asking him to continue and take over the key role of Secretary of Veterans Affairs. and ensure that the brave and selfless men and women who have served in uniform for our country are always cared for and supported.”
“I am very honored to be named by Governor-elect Sanders to the Arkansas Air National Guard and Army National Guard as a second-in-command,” Stubbs said. In my current role as Deputy Commissioner of , Preparedness and Mobilization, I am fully equipped to ensure that our Arkansas National Guard is always ready to rise to the defense of our state and nation. My family and I are thrilled to be back home.”
“Our veterans have made countless sacrifices for our freedoms. I share my tremendous respect for veterans and my desire to ensure they have access to benefits, care and support.Work with her to make Arkansas the most veteran-friendly state in the country. We look forward to making it state.”
About Brigadier General John Stubbs
BG John Stubbs began his military career in 1993 as a Private First Class (PFC) with Company A, 4-117th Infantry Battalion, Lexington, Tennessee. In 1995, he was commissioned as an infantry officer after completing Officer Candidate School as a Distinguished Graduate of the Tennessee Military Academy.
BG Stubbs is an Army National Guard veteran officer who has spent more than 27 of his 29 years in the uniform of the Arkansas National Guard. He has held all leadership positions within the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), from Rifle Platoon Commander (Second Lieutenant) to Brigade Commander (Colonel). BG Stubbs, from 2004 to 2005 he led C Company, 3-153 Infantry in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) II in Baghdad, Iraq. Served as OIF VIII’s 39th his IBCT operations officer.
BG Stubbs also served as an Active Guard Reserve (AGR) Officer in the Arkansas National Guard from 1997 to 2021. During that time he was deployed in countless training, operational and administrative duties in battalions, regiments and brigades. , and state levels. His highest AGR assignment was Chief of Staff in the Arkansas Army National Guard.
In September 2021, he was selected for promotion to brigadier general and appointed deputy director of operations at the National Guard Department in Arlington, Virginia. In January 2022, BG Stubbs was appointed Deputy Director of Operations, Preparedness and Mobilization for the Department of Defense Headquarters.
He has completed all stages of Infantry Officer Basic Course, Infantry Captain Career Course, Combined Weapons Service and Staff School, Command and General Staff College, U.S. Army War College (Graduate of 2013), Brigade Pre-Command Course, and Brigadier General Advanced Strategic Education Program for
His private education includes a BA in History from Lambuth College in Jackson, Tennessee, and an MA in Strategic Studies from USAWC in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
His medals include the Combat Infantryman Medal, Valorous Unit Award, 2 Distinguished Service Medals, 2 Bronze Star Medals, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, 6 Distinguished Service Medals, and 8 Army Commendation Medals. , and various other individual and unit service awards.
BG Stubbs is married to his ex Jane Berry from DeWitt, Arkansas. They have two children; Susannah, 25, North, her English teacher at Little Rock High School. She is 16-year-old Samuel, a sophomore in high school and a Boy Scout. They also have a German Shepherd named Major. The Stubbs family currently reside in Falls Church, Virginia, but call Searcy, Arkansas home.
About Major General Kendall Penn
Major General Kendall W. Penn was inaugurated as Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard on August 23, 2019. He is a member of the governor’s cabinet and is responsible for commanding the Arkansas Air Force and Army National Guard. and he is a civil servant. As Deputy Secretary, Rear Admiral Penn is responsible for the day-to-day operations and management of the Department of Defense’s readiness, finances, personnel, equipment, and real estate resources, and ensures the training readiness of all personnel to achieve both states. and federal missions.
Major General Penn began his military career in 1982 when he joined Company B, 212nd Signal Battalion, Arkansas National Guard. After graduating from the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock in 1985, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry.
Major General Penn served in various command and staff positions in both the active duty Army and the National Guard. This included the commander of the 1st Battalion, 153rd Infantry Regiment, deployed to Baghdad, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and later to Baghdad, Iraq as commander of the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. was also deployed. Upon being approved by the federal government as a forward brigadier general on March 20, 2010, he was appointed assistant deputy chief of staff for the state of Arkansas, while at Fort, Maryland. was appointed to General Penn was selected as the deputy commander of operations for the 1st U.S. Army stationed at Island, Rock, Illinois, and oversaw the preparation and training of National Guard and Army Reserve units mobilized for combat. In March 2013, he was promoted to major general.
Major General Penn’s awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Bronze Star with Oak Leaves Tassel, Expert Infantryman Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, Advanced Parachute Badge, Air Assault Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and Ranger Tab.
Major General Penn holds a BS in Criminal Justice from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College.
Penn is married to former Amy Dawson and has three daughters, Julie, Becca, and Lois, and three grandchildren, Gus, Claire, and Jed.
