MAJOR GENERAL (SD) MARK R. MORRELL
Major General Mark R. Morrell is the 23rd Adjutant General of the South Dakota National Guard. He serves as Commanding General for both the South Dakota Air and Army National Guard and guides the preparation of 4,300 Air and Army National Guard Citizen Soldiers and Airmen and 950 full-time Federal and State employees to respond in times of state or national emergency. General Morrell is responsible for federal and state mission readiness, assignment of leaders, recruiting, training, equipping, mobilization, facilities, and public relations. He is also responsible for formulating, developing, and coordinating all policies, plans, and programs affecting South Dakota Army and Air National Guard members. General Morrell serves on the Governor's cabinet as the principal advisor to the Governor on all matters involving use of the National Guard.
General Morrell entered the Air Force in May 1999 as a graduate of South Dakota State University and as a Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 780. He served on Active Duty for 12 years before transitioning home to the South Dakota Air National Guard. He has been assigned to numerous operational and staff positions at the squadron, group and wing levels. General Morrell is a Command Pilot with over 3,000 flying hours, is qualified as an Instructor Pilot, and is both a graduate of and former instructor at the United States Air Force Weapons School. He has taken part in training operations in South Korea, Alaska, Italy, Japan, and Jordan. He has also deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation New Dawn, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel along with NATOs Resolute Support Mission.
Prior to his current assignment, General Morrell was the Deputy Chief of Staff, 114th Fighter Wing Commander, 114th Operations Group Commander, and 114th Operations Support Squadron Commander; all at Joe Foss Field, South Dakota.
EDUCATION
1999 Bachelor of Science in Biology, South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D.
2004 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
2007 United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev.
2009 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2015 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence
2017 Master of Arts in Christian Leadership, Sioux Falls Seminary, Sioux Falls, S.D.
2023 General and Flag Officer Homeland Security Executive Seminar (GFOS), Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, Mass.
2024 CAPSTONE General and Flag Officer Course, National Defense University, Washington, D.C.
ASSIGNMENTS
1. June 1999 - January 2000, Squadron Section Commander, 5th Operations Support Squadron, Minot Air Force Base, N.D.
2. January 2000 - August 2001, Student, Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training, Sheppard AFB, Texas
3. September 2001 - May 2002, Student, F-16 Training, Luke AFB, Ariz.
4. May 2002 - June 2003, Electronic Combat Pilot, 80th Fighter Squadron, Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea
5. June 2003 - June 2006, Flight Commander/Instructor Pilot, 18th Fighter Squadron, Eielson AFB, Alaska
6. June 2006 - January 2007, Chief of Training, 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
7. January 2007 - June 2007, Student, United States Air Force Weapons School, 57th Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev.
8. June 2007 - May 2009, Chief of F-16 Programs, 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin AFB, Fla.
9. June 2009 - May 2010, Chief of Wing Scheduling/F-16 Weapons Instructor, 57th Operations Support Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
10. June 2010 - November 2011, Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) Flight Commander, 16th Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nev.
11. November 2011 - December 2014, Wing Program Manager, 114th Operations Support Squadron, Joe Foss Field, S.D.
12. January 2015 - December 2017, Commander, 114th Operations Support Squadron, Joe Foss Field, S.D.
13. December 2017 - January 2019, Commander, 114th Operations Group, Joe Foss Field, S.D.
14. February 2019 - August 2019, Vice Commander, 114th Fighter Wing, Joe Foss Field, S.D.
15. September 2019 - May 2021, Commander, 114th Fighter Wing, Joe Foss Field, S.D.
16. January 2023 - April 2023, Deputy Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Joe Foss Field, S.D.
17. August 2023 - Present, Adjutant General, South Dakota National Guard, Joe Foss Field, S.D.
FLIGHT INFORMATION
Rating: Command Pilot
Flight hours: More than 3,000
Aircraft flown: F-16CM, T-38, T-37
MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters
Air Medal with C device
Aerial Achievement Medal
Air and Space Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster
Air and Space Achievement Medal
EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION
Second Lieutenant June 2, 1999
First Lieutenant June 2, 2001
Captain June 2, 2003
Major March 1, 2009
Lieutenant Colonel March 28, 2013
Colonel Dec. 22, 2017
Brigadier General March 31, 2023
(Current as of June 2024)
