Idaho’s adjutant general no longer federally recognized

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter says Maj. Gen. Gary Sayler will continue serving as the commanding officer of the Idaho National Guard despite no longer being the state’s federally recognized adjutant general. Otter tells The Associated Press that the federal government denied his request to extend Sayler’s federally recognized status in January. However, Sayler will continue leading the Idaho National Guard until the end of the fiscal year, which ends in June. Under Idaho, an adjutant general must be a federally recognized commissioned officer in order to be appointed to the position, but there is no state requirement for maintenance of federal recognition. Losing federal recognition means the U.S. Department of Defense no longer considers Sayler eligible to represent the Idaho National Guard at out-of-state conferences, training or other events.