RAPID CITY, S.D. – There was a change of command ceremony for the South Dakota National Guard (SDNG) held recently in Rapid City.
Mark R. Morrell, Brigadier General, was promoted to the rank of Major General and has taken over as the 23rd Adjutant General of the SDNG from Jeffrey P. Marlette, Major General, who held the position since June 2019. He is retiring from the SDNG with over 36 years of military service.
As the commander of South Dakota’s Air and Army National Guard, Morrell oversees a team of nearly 4,000 men and women, including over 1,000 full-time federal and state employees. In this role, he is responsible for tasks such as strategic planning, leader assignment, recruiting, training, equipping, mobilization, facilities management, and public relations.
“The adjutant general serves soldiers and airmen located across 230 different facilities in 22 communities throughout our diverse state,” he said.
“I will travel a fair amount in-state and maintain offices in Rapid City, Pierre and in Sioux Falls. Two of those are co-located with National Guard facilities, and the third is at the office of the Department of the Military for South Dakota.”
Morrell’s career has offered him a world of experiences in different settings. He has served in training and combat in several theaters including the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. While his training has primarily been through the Air Force, all work assignments and deployments have been in joint, multi-service and multi-national environments.
He has been appointed as a member of Gov. Noem’s cabinet, serving as the Adjutant General. He is tasked with ensuring that the SDNG Soldiers and Airmen are always prepared and trained to respond to both state and federal missions.
