Hank Harder, second from right, prepares to be sworn in as the next Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard at a South Burlington ceremony Saturday, March 7, 2026. Photo by Emma Cotton/VTDigger Maj. Gen. Henry “Hank” Harder was expected to take command of the Vermont National Guard on Saturday during a ceremony at the 158th Fighter Wing in South Burlington. Harder succeeds 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.  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.  Uniformed participants stand in formation during a change-of-command ceremony in which Maj. Gen. Henry “Hank” Harder was sworn in as Vermont’s adjutant general. Photo by Emma Cotton/VTDigger 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. He was elected by the legislature as the new leader of the Guard in February.  Knight led the Guard through a period that included pandemic response missions, overseas deployments and major infrastructure investments at Guard facilities across the state. More than 300 people, including Gov. Phil Scott, attended the ceremony. This story will be updated. Read the story on VTDigger here: New leader to take charge of Vermont National Guard as war in Iran looms large. ...read more read less