Maj. Gen. Donald Dunbar, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, hosted an online town hall Sept. 16, where he took questions from deployed Guardsmen, their families and other service members on a wide range of topics.

More than 200 people logged on for the conversation.

The general took a variety of questions ranging from the budget outlook for the National Guard to questions on the Guard’s future role in potential conflicts. Most of the online audience was interested to hear how their deployed Soldiers or Airmen were fairing overseas.

The Wisconsin National Guard currently has four Army National Guard units deployed – Detachment 52 of the Operational Support Airlift Command, the 32nd Military Engagement Team and Base Defense Operations Center, the 829th Engineer Company and Battery A, 1st Battalion, 121st Field Artillery.

Several Soldiers from the deployed units joined in the conversation from the Middle East or Afghanistan, even though the conversation occurred in the early morning hours overseas.

With new threats emerging around the world, one member of the audience asked, “With the unsettling news we hear every day from across the world, will this affect our units in Wisconsin with possible deployments?”

Dunbar answered, “The National Guard will likely be part of any future missions as determined by the president. Our readiness has never been better, and we are relied upon by the Army and Air Force.”

Other audience members asked about the reintegration process for Soldiers expected to return from deployments in the coming months or about sending mail to deployed Soldiers and units.

The conversation lasted more than 45 minutes. To view the full text of the conversation, click here.