LITTLE ROCK, Ark. –Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced that she has appointed Colonel Olen Chad Bridges to serve as Arkansas’ Secretary of the Military and the 55th Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard.
“Arkansas’ National Guard are the finest our state has to offer, and there’s no one better prepared to lead them than Colonel Chad Bridges,” said Governor Sanders. “Throughout his 32-year military career that includes leading Arkansas’ soldiers in three overseas deployments, Colonel Bridges has led troops in the Middle East, served several important assignments in the Pentagon, and been a loyal public servant to our state and nation. I know he will excel as Adjutant General and ensure our men and women in uniform are ready to support the great state of Arkansas and the entire country.”
“I am profoundly honored and deeply grateful to Governor Sanders for the extraordinary opportunity to join her cabinet and serve as the Secretary of the Military and the 55th Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard,” said Colonel Chad Bridges. “As a proud Arkansan, leading the exceptional men and women of the Arkansas National Guard in our mission to serve our state and nation is a lifetime privilege. I acknowledge our servicemembers’ families and employers whose support and sacrifice enable our mission success. We will continue to make the great state of Arkansas proud by upholding the highest standards of service and commitment to our state and nation.”
Colonel Chad Bridges Bio:
Colonel Bridges enlisted in the Arkansas Army National Guard in August of 1991 and commissioned in August of 1998. He assumed command of the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in September 2021, leading the brigade headquarters’ deployment to Grafenwoehr, Germany.
Colonel Bridges’ three previous assignments before brigade command were in the Pentagon. He was the Chief of the National Guard Bureau’s representative on the 2022 National Defense Strategy Core Development Team. Before that, he served in colonel assignments in the Office of Secretary of Defense and Headquarters Department of the Army. Colonel Bridges has served in various other national, state, and tactical level assignments as a full-time Active Guard Reserve officer since 2006.
He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, U.S. Army Command and Staff College, U.S. Air Force Command and Staff College, U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the Joint Forces Staff College. In 2017, he completed the United States Army War College as a distinguished graduate obtaining a Master of Strategic Studies degree.
He is an MIT Seminar XXI fellow, a Harvard Kennedy School fellow for Leadership in Homeland Security, and a Syracuse University Maxwell School National Security Studies fellow. His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Defense Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, Combat and Expert Infantryman Badges, and various other awards and badges.
Most importantly, Colonel Bridges is married to the former Kari Zaccanti of Fayetteville, Arkansas. They reside in Conway, Arkansas with their two children: Carsten and Chloe.