JEFFERSON CITY聽鈥 The commander of 12,000 Missouri National Guard soldiers is the latest appointee of Gov. Mike Parson to announce his departure as the Republican governor winds up his time in office.
Major General Levon Cumpton, the adjutant general of the state鈥檚 troops, will step down in February to become a deputy commanding general for the U.S. Army鈥檚 Europe and Africa posting.
鈥淟evon鈥檚 efforts, above and beyond the call of duty, and devotion to his home state have helped bring greater opportunity to thousands of Missourians. Teresa and I thank him for his service and wish him, along with his wife Linda, the best in this new role and all that comes next,鈥 Parson said in a statement Thursday.
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With the term-limited Parson stepping down in January, Cumpton鈥檚 replacement will be picked by the next governor, either Republican Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe or Democrat House Minority Leader Crystal Quade.
Other agency chiefs who have departed as Parson鈥檚 tenure comes to an end include the directors of the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Corrections.
Cumpton has served as adjutant general since 2019.
His tenure was marked by the use of National Guard soldiers to help during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Guard also was deployed to the Texas border as part of a Republican-led surge to highlight immigration as a campaign issue in this year鈥檚 election.
Of the 12,000 members, an estimated 2,700 are full-time. In 2023, Missouri troops participated in overseas training exercises in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Panama, Iceland, Guam and Guyana.
The state is slated to deploy another 620 service members to perform similar missions in 2024.
鈥淚 was humbled to be selected by Governor Parson. I continue to be humbled to have the continued confidence and support of our state and national leadership to serve in this new role supporting our U.S. and allies鈥 operations in these critical overseas theaters,鈥 Cumpton said.