The Senate Budget, Appropriations and Finance Committee on Wednesday reviewed a $3.5 million fiscal year 2027 budget request for the Office of the Adjutant General, which officials said would help bring in about $56.4 million in federal funding for the Virgin Islands National Guard.
Major General Kodjo S. Knox-Limbacker, adjutant general and commander of the Virgin Islands Army and Air National Guard, told lawmakers the federal contribution would be roughly 16 times the territorial share.
Senators questioned officials about overdue payments to local vendors and delayed pension checks for National Guard retirees, including recipients of the territory’s $350 monthly benefit for certain retired Guard members.
Executive Director Nikita Ward testified that the Guard owes about $109,000 in overdue vendor payments on operating accounts, with invoices more than 90 days old, and that additional construction payments totaling roughly $585,000 are still pending while paperwork moves through administrative channels.
Ward also said payments for retired Guard members ages 55 to 60 who receive a $350 monthly benefit have been delayed. She said 30 retirees are currently eligible and that recent quarterly payments have not yet been disbursed, as the Guard awaits authorization to release funds already recorded in its accounts.
OMB officials have said delays often stem from agencies failing to submit required paperwork or federal drawdown requests on time, and have identified the Office of the Adjutant General as one of the slower agencies in processing them. Ward told lawmakers, however, that some payments are being held while they await authorization letters from the Office of Management and Budget to release already appropriated funds.
Col. Deborah Lobbenmeier, the U.S. Property and Fiscal Officer assigned to the Virgin Islands, told lawmakers the federal share under the cooperative agreement cannot be committed until the territory provides its required match. Knox-Limbacker warned that if local payments fall behind, federal authorities can freeze or reallocate a portion of the Guard’s federal funding.
Knox-Limbacker told lawmakers the Guard has spent recent years addressing compliance deficiencies, resolving administrative issues, and improving readiness for federal and territorial missions, noting that the organization was previously under the National Guard Bureau’s oversight and was released from that program in 2024 after completing 140 corrective action plans.
Knox-Limbacker said that the same force is also responsible for responding to hurricanes and other emergencies in the Virgin Islands when activated by the governor. He cited roles in disaster response, water system emergencies, support to the Virgin Islands Police Department, and logistical assistance during major public events. To maintain readiness, he said the Guard conducts annual all-hazards coordination training, participates in VITEMA hurricane exercises, trains with FEMA Region II, and joins U.S. Army North readiness drills, calling them “the building blocks activities vital to an effective response to any incident occurring in the Virgin Islands.”
On personnel strength, Knox-Limbacker reported the Guard is operating at about 95% staffing in the Army National Guard and 103% in the Air National Guard, saying the figures reflect strong recruitment, retention and morale and place the Virgin Islands among the higher-performing Guard units nationally.
Lawmakers also pressed Guard officials on facility conditions. Knox-Limbacker said a water filtration system at a key facility is no longer functioning reliably and must be replaced, forcing the Guard to rely on locally funded bottled-water coolers.
On St. Thomas, officials said a federal contract has been awarded to repair or replace the armory’s air-conditioning system after reports that personnel have been working in high temperatures.
Senators also raised concerns about an elevator that remains out of service while the government secures a new maintenance contractor. Knox-Limbacker said the Guard has no current groundskeeping contract on St. Croix, leaving soldiers and officers to perform basic lawn maintenance as needed. He also said janitorial services have been shifted to contracted providers.
Sen. Kenneth Gittens pointed to the Guard’s current deployment in Washington, D.C., as he questioned whether similar support could be activated in the Virgin Islands amid rising gun violence. “We could utilize the same similar assistance,” he said. Knox-Limbacker said the governor has the authority under territorial law to activate National Guard military police for law enforcement support when requested, but said no such request has been made. In response, Gittens said, “Hopefully this triggers some discussion.”
The committee requested a copy of the Master Cooperative Agreement within a week and indicated it would seek further clarification from budget officials about how funding delays and authorization procedures are affecting payments and federal matches.
Lawmakers also questioned the Guard’s internal financial capacity. Ward acknowledged the Office of the Adjutant General has been operating without a chief financial officer, and Major General Knox-Limbacker said the agency had not historically been structured with a CFO but now needs a dedicated financial professional. He later told senators a financial analyst within the existing budget might be more appropriate than a full CFO, saying the position would be focused solely on managing the Guard’s finances.
He said the budget request is ultimately intended to ensure the Guard can continue fulfilling both its military and emergency-response responsibilities and maintain a high level of readiness for future missions. “The Virgin Islands National Guard not only continues to be always ready and always there, but they will be at a higher state of readiness when called,” Knox-Limbacker told senators.
