Gov. Abbott Replaces Texas National Guard Leader

Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, announced he had replaced the top officer of the Texas National Guard following months of criticism regarding pay issues, poor living conditions, and a lack of appropriate gear for troops patrolling the southern border.

Maj. Gen. Thomas M. Suelzer, who formerly oversaw the Texas Air Guard, will replace Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris as leader of the Texas Military Department, Abbott announced Monday in a statement.

"Gen. Norris faithfully served the Texas Military Department with dignity, as adjutant general beginning in January 2019, as assistant adjutant general in 2016, and over her decades of service," Abbott said. "I thank Gen. Norris for her exceptional service to the state of Texas and am honored to appoint her successor, Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer, as the adjutant general of Texas.

"Gen. Suelzer brings a wealth of military experience to this new role, and I am confident that he will uphold the integrity of the Texas Military Department and exemplify servant leadership throughout every aspect of this position."

Suelzer said he would try to "rebuild trust" between leadership and the Guardsmen.

"I am honored to have been selected to serve in this role and appreciate the trust and confidence Gov. Abbott has placed in me to carry out the immense duties of this office," Suelzer said in a statement, Stars and Stripes reported.

"I look forward to serving our soldiers, airmen, and state Guardsmen, and will work tirelessly to rebuild trust within our organization."

Norris began her three-year tenure at the helm of the department in 2019 but came under heavy criticism in recent months after a massive ramp-up of Operation Lone Star, the border patrol mission Abbott launched in March 2021.

An investigation co-published by The Texas Tribune and Military Times found that many of the issues plaguing the mission were similar to problems faced during the department's last major state deployment, during Hurricane Harvey.

Military.com reported that more than 1,000 troops had faced pay issues, including some being shortchanged thousands of dollars.

Also, requests to be taken off the open-ended mission due to family hardships largely had been denied, and there also have been multiple reports of suicide attempts and incidents related to alcohol abuse.

The problems led to some troops joining the Texas State Employees Union to help them advocate for better working and living standards at the Texas Capitol.

• Gov. Greg Abbott to Newsmax: Biden Nor Harris Have Talked to Me on Border Crisis
• Texas Lawmakers Deplore Mistreatment of National Guard at Border