Indiana Guard's Top Officer Stepping Down In May

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indiana National Guard's top officer says he's going to step down next May after more than a decade in the position.

Adjutant General Martin Umbarger says in a short letter on the Guard's website that he told Gov. Mike Pence on Monday that he would be retiring to end his 45 years in the Indiana Guard.

He says it is time to pass the Guard's leadership to the next generation.

Then-Gov. Joe Kernan first appointed Umbarger as adjutant general in early 2004. He was kept in that position overseeing nearly 16,000 Army and Air Guard personnel by Gov. Mitch Daniels and Pence.