A legislative committee has endorsed a retired Maine National Guard general to take over the top post in what would be another historic first for the state.
Brig. Gen. Diane Dunn became the first woman to become a general in the Maine Army National Guard in 2020. Now, Gov. Janet Mills has nominated Dunn to serve as adjutant general of the Maine National Guard and the commissioner of the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management. She would replace Maj. Gen. Douglas Farnham, who is retiring.
"I'm honored to be nominated by Governor Mills," Dunn told members of the Legislature's Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee on Monday. "I am deeply committed to serving our state and nation, the members of the department, their families and our veterans."
Dunn joined the Maine Army National Guard as a junior officer in 1988 and, by the time she retired two years ago, had risen to the rank of assistant adjutant general and chief of staff. Dunn served as a commander of four different units, including the 286th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion when it deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, in 2009. And since her retirement, Dunn has served as senior advisor and chief of staff to the president of the University of Maine in Orono.
Members of the Legislature's Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee voted 8-3 to support Dunn. But before the vote, Republicans pressed Dunn on her views on diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which was one of her areas of focus while at UMaine.
Rep. David Boyer, R-Poland, asked Dunn at one point whether she thought the military's "blind," merit-based promotions system in which candidates' gender and race are not disclosed yields better-qualified candidates than policies that consider diversity.
Dunn responded that she didn't believe they ran counter to each other and that they support each other.
"With equal opportunity in the military — probably more so than any other institution — whether we agree or disagree on the terminology, my experience it is the qualifications regardless of race or gender that provides the most opportunities for people," Dunn said.
Democrats, meanwhile, focused on how she would address sexual assault and harassment issues within the Guard. Mills formed a special advisory council to study and make recommendations on improving how the Guard handled sexual harassment and assault in the ranks after many members reported fearing retaliation or expressed a lack of confidence in their chain of command.
Dunn says she will continue to "root out any unwelcome and inappropriate behavior."
"I personally know that it is has been a part of my entire career in terms of prevention so that it isn't new," Dunn said. "Prevention has always been there. How to adequately communicate that prevention and train and educate has evolved over time."
Dunn's nomination now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
