Interior Department Pledges Support for Employing National Guard Members, Reservists and Veterans

Date: Friday, September 8, 2023
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The Department of the Interior and Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program have signed a Statement of Support honoring our commitment to being an employer of choice for our nation's guardsmen, reservists, veterans and their families.

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget Joan Mooney joined Judd Lyons, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Reserve Integration, and Ron Bogle, the National Chair of DoD’s Employer Support of Guard and Reserve Program in a signing ceremony at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“I am honored to sign this statement on behalf of the Interior Department, and more importantly, to recognize and celebrate the many contributions that National Guard and Reserve members and veterans make at the agency,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Mooney, who formerly served as Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Congressional and Legislative Affairs. “Families support servicemembers when they are deployed, whether in the next town or around the world. Our Guard and Reserve families experience challenges that other families do not. By formalizing Interior’s commitment today, we also recognize and honor the sacrifices that families make in support of their loved ones.”

The Statement of Support underscores the Department of the Interior’s long-standing efforts to ensure that managers and supervisors have the tools they need to better support employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. It also assures servicemembers and their families that Interior will provide them opportunities for successful and fulfilling careers while allowing the flexibility they need to meet their military obligations.

Support by both public and private employers enhances retention rates in the Armed Forces and ultimately strengthens our national security. The Statement of Support is the cornerstone of efforts to increase employer support by encouraging employers to act as advocates for employee participation in the military.

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