General Thomas M. Carden, Jr. serves as the 13th Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Va. The Vice Chief is the second highest-ranking officer of the National Guard Bureau, a joint activity of the Department of War. The Vice Chief assists the Chief of the National Guard Bureau in performing duties as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and key military advisor to the President, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of the Army, and Secretary of the Air Force and the 54 States, Territories, and District of Columbia. The Vice Chief is responsible for a wide range of critical functions, including assessing and prioritizing requirements for non-federalized National Guard capabilities and overseeing the Bureau’s participation in the defense innovation ecosystem. General Carden also directly oversees the National Guard’s budget, resources, and contracting activities, as well as coordinating with various Department of War entities and combatant commands on matters affecting National Guard forces.

Prior to his current role, General Carden was the Deputy Commander of U.S. Northern Command and Vice Commander of the U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command, at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. His other general officer assignments include serving as the Adjutant General for the Georgia National Guard, Deputy Commanding General of NATO’s Multinational Division Southeast in Bucharest, Romania, and Assistant Adjutant General for the Georgia National Guard. His previous staff assignments include Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel. He also commanded the 560th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade. General Carden has deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom and to Bosnia and Herzegovina for Operation Joint Forge and has been involved in numerous domestic response operations.

General Carden graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in History. He was commissioned in 1989 through Officer Candidate School. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Combined Arms Services Staff School, the Command and General Staff College, the Army War College, the Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) Course, the National Defense University's CAPSTONE Course, and the USNORTHCOM Joint Task Force Commanders Course. He earned a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management from Webster University and a Master of Science in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College.

General Carden’s military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, and the Parachutist Badge.