Governor Brian Kemp (R-GA) recently sent a scathing letter to Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), urging him to stop obstructing the long-overdue confirmation of Lieutenant General Thomas Carden to the position of Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau (NGB).
It has been more than five months since Gen. Carden was first nominated for this critical, non-political national security role, and he has yet to receive a confirmation vote by the Senate due to a hold from Sen. Padilla.
Although the California Senator has raised no concerns whatsoever regarding Carden's exceptional record or his fitness for the role, he has publicly cited unrelated political reasons for his obstruction.
In the letter, Gov. Brian Kemp argued, “During his 38 years of valued military service to our country, General Carden has given his life in faithful service to the State of Georgia and our nation, including during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Kemp also called on other Senators to back Carden, stating, “So I'm urging Senator Padilla to withdraw his politically-driven hold on the confirmation process and ask all senators to publicly advocate for this American hero and the contributions he'll make to our national security.”
The Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau assists the NGB chief by performing duties as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and principal advisor to the Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Secretary, and Air Force Secretary.
Carden currently serves as Deputy Commander of U.S. Northern Command, assisting the commander in anticipating, preparing for, and responding to threats against North America and within the command’s assigned area of responsibility.
The General also currently serves as Vice Commander of the U.S. Element North American Aerospace Defense Command. Before his current post, he served as the adjutant general of Georgia for five years, where he supervised all domestic and foreign activities of the Georgia Guard.
General Tom Carden has dedicated his life to serving this country, and it’s inexcusable for a U.S. Senator to be playing politics with the nomination of this American Hero to a national security post! I’m calling on Senator Padilla to withdraw his politically-driven hold and… pic.twitter.com/aUp3FFRfON
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) December 12, 2025
