May ​15, ​2025

It’s budget season in Trenton. Each year, the New Jersey Assembly and Senate Budget Committees hear from members of the Governors’ Cabinet as we explain the priorities, plans, and programs that inform our investments for the next state fiscal year that begins on July 1st.

I recently had the privilege to testify and present the proposed budget for the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. My testimony enabled me to share information about our long-term efforts to ensure a ready and equipped National Guard as well as benefits, programs, and services that support Garden State Service Members, Veterans, and their families.

Governor Murphy and our bipartisan partners in the Legislature are committed to ensuring that we have the support necessary to continue advancing and refining services for our community. This work includes bringing homelessness to functional zero, building mental health resilience, assisting individuals navigate claims and processes, as well as connecting individuals to the host of resources that that they have earned through their service.

DMAVA’s proposed budget continues to support excellent staffing, equipment, and the implementation of technology driven evidence-based best practices at the Menlo Park, Paramus, and Vineland Veterans Homes. These investments include streamlined electronic records management, digital learning management, communication systems, and expanded resident WiFi. The proposed budget supports the operations of a veterans service office in each of our twenty-one counties, capital improvements at our state’s war memorials, and funding for lifesaving programs like the NJ Vet2Vet helpline and no cost PTSD counseling.

The Soldiers and Airmen of the New Jersey National Guard continue to deploy in significant numbers to significant places. As I write, the Soldiers from our 1-171st General Support Aviation Battalion are deployed to Kosovo performing MEDEVAC support to our NATO and Western Balkan partners. Soldiers of the 328th Military Police Company are now mobilized in support of Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo, as well. Nearly 140 Airmen from the 177th Fighter Wing are deployed on six-month rotations. Soldiers of our 42nd Regional Support Group are slated to deploy later this year to the Middle East in support of the same mission the 44th IBCT just returned from: Operation Inherent Resolve.

The Airmen of the 177th Fighter Wing maintain a high state of readiness for future overseas missions while continuing their domestic 24/7 alert mission, in which F-16 fighter jets can be scrambled to defend and protect East Coast air space. In support of the 177th Fighter Wing’s readiness, we secured $7 million in federal military construction funds that paves the way for additional deployments and future missions.

The Airmen of the 108th Wing are pioneering the Air Force’s first classic embedded association with active-duty personnel in the KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling tanker. The 108th Wing is working to attain initial operational capability for the 141st Air Refueling Squadron in 2025 and the new 170th Air Refueling Squadron in 2026. The Wing is also slated to activate the 227th Cyber Operations Squadron this year, the second of two cyber protection teams tasked to enhance national cyber defense capabilities.

I am so proud of our progress. It’s made possible by the dedicated professionals who fill the ranks of our organization. And while our work will never be complete, these investments testify to the shared values that unite us all: caring for those who serve, those who have served, and the people who love them.