BISMARCK — U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Mitchell Johnson will officially assume command as adjutant general of the North Dakota National Guard in a change of command ceremony at the Raymond J. Bohn Armory in Bismarck on Sunday. Johnson will take over for U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Alan Dohrmann, who has served in the position for more than eight years.

Gov. Doug Burgum, who serves as the commander-in-chief of the North Dakota National Guard, announced Johnson’s selection on June 20 and will preside over the change of command ceremony.

Johnson began his military career in 1997 when he commissioned through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program at Michigan Tech in Houghton, Michigan. His first duty assignment was at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado. During his 12 years of active service, Johnson served in multiple flying assignments with Air Mobility Command, Air Education and Training Command, and Air Force Special Operations Command.

Upon leaving active duty, Johnson entered the North Dakota National Guard, becoming a pilot for MQ-1 Predator, C-21, and MQ-9 Reaper aircraft. He held multiple staff positions and commanded at the squadron, group, and wing-level. He also served as the chief of staff, Air, with the North Dakota National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, and completed six overseas deployments during his career.

As adjutant general, Johnson will also serve as the director of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, which consists of the Division of Homeland Security and the Division of State Radio Communications.

Following the change of command ceremony, Dohrmann will be honored at a retirement ceremony for his more than four decades of military service. He began his military career in 1983, serving seven years with the active-duty Army on assignments in Germany and Japan. He joined the North Dakota National Guard in 1991 and held various roles before being named deputy adjutant general in 2007.

In 2009, Dohrmann deployed as part of Kosovo Forces 12, serving as the commanding general of Multinational Task Force-East. He commanded more than 2,000 military members from the United States and seven other countries during his deployment. Upon his return in 2010, he resumed his duties as deputy adjutant general, serving as second in command of the North Dakota National Guard.

Dohrmann has served as the adjutant general since 2015, overseeing numerous deployments and several domestic operations. These include the Guard’s support to North Dakota during the COVID-19 response between 2020-2022, the Medora wildfires and Roosevelt Creek Fires in 2021, the Bourbanis Dam Stabilization in 2022, and the Missouri River Ice Jam in 2024.