Major General Janeen L. Birckhead is the 31st Adjutant General of the
Maryland National Guard. In this capacity, Maj. Gen. Birckhead serves
as military advisor to the Governor of Maryland, leading a force of
more than 6,300 Soldiers, Airmen, and federal and state civilian
employees. The Maryland National Guard provides a highly trained force
ready to respond to domestic emergencies, natural disasters, and
defend the United States and its global interests.
Maj. Gen. Birckhead has commanded Army units at the company,
battalion, and brigade levels. Before her current role, Maj. Gen.
Birckhead served as Commander of the Maryland Army National Guard and
the Deputy Commandant for Reserve Affairs at the U.S. Army War
College. Under her leadership, the Maryland Army National Guard-led
Vaccine Equity Task Force ensured COVID-19 testing vaccination access
to vulnerable populations across Maryland. Later, Maj. Gen. Birckhead
commanded more than 15,000 National Guard members from across the
nation during the National Guard mission to secure the U.S. Capitol
following the events of January 6, 2021. During her command, the
Maryland Army National Guard deployed dozens of units and hundreds of
Soldiers to defend the United States at home and abroad.
In 2004, Maj. Gen. Birckhead mobilized for Operation Enduring
Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving as Tiger Team Leader and
Designated Military Officer for the Office of Administrative Review
for the Detention of Enemy Combatants. In 2011, she deployed to Kabul,
Afghanistan, and served as the NATO International Security Assistance
Force deputy current operations officer for security partnering.
Maj. Gen. Birckhead's military decorations include the Legion of
Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal,
the NATO Medal, and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
Maj. Gen. Birckhead graduated with honors with a B.A. in political
science from Hampton University and earned her commission as a
distinguished military graduate through the Reserve Officers Training
Corps. She later completed an M.A. in management from the University
of Maryland University College and a master’s in strategic studies at
the U.S. Army War College.
In her civilian career, Maj. Gen. Birckhead began as an aide in the
U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C. She later served as a state equal
employment opportunity manager, Special Agent in Charge for the
Defense Security Service, and Deputy Chief of Equal Opportunity and
Civil Rights at the Office of Personnel Management, before joining the
Department of the Interior. There, Maj. Gen. Birckhead served as a
senior advisor for the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Trust Fund Administration, advising the bureau director on various
issues related to the organization’s personnel, management policies,
and organizational culture. ” When not serving in her official
capacity, you may find her supporting flag placement at Veterans
Cemetery with her two children on Veterans and Memorial Day,
supporting the Salvation Army as a Bell Ringer for the Red Kettle
Campaign or participating in veterans outreach, fundraising, food
distribution, and support to Women Veterans Initiatives. She is a life
member of the American Legion Post 166 and a proud member of Delta
Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Maj. Gen. Birckhead is a married mother and two and a native of
Maryland’s eastern shore. During her formative years on the shore, she
was raised by her father, a Navy veteran, and her mother, a community
leader and organizer who served as a Judge of the Worcester County
Orphan’s Court.
