Stubbs, Penn picked for military and veterans posts in Sanders administration

Brig. Gen. Jon Stubbs will serve as secretary of the military and Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard in the administration of Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders, her transition office announced Wednesday.

Sanders also announced the nomination of Maj. Gen. Kendall Penn as secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Penn has been adjutant general and secretary of the military under Gov. Asa Hutchinson since 2019.

In a press release, Sanders described both men as “high-caliber individuals with decades of military experience who will lead with honor and integrity.”

“Together, we will ensure that the brave, selfless men and women who have served our country in uniform are always cared for and supported.”

Stubbs most recently served as deputy director for Operations, Readiness, and Mobilization at the Pentagon. He has been in the military for 29 years, 27 of them in the Arkansas Army National Guard.

Penn said that Sanders “shares my tremendous respect for our veterans and intention to ensure they have access to benefits, care, and support. I look forward to working with her to make Arkansas the most veteran-friendly state in the nation.”

Penn has been a member of the Arkansas Army National Guard since enlisting in 1982. He has served in several command and staff assignments in both the active Army and the National Guard. He was promoted to major general in March 2013.

Stubbs enlisted in 1993 and served in several leadership positions over the years. He was promoted to brigadier general in 2021.

Both men served tours of duty in Iraq.

Here’s the full press release with Stubbs’ and Penn’s biographies.