Major General R. Martin Umbarger

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - Indiana Governor-elect Mike Pence is favoring stability at the top of the Indiana National Guard.

Pence announced Thursday that he will keep Major General Martin Umbarger as the Appointed Adjutant General of the state national guard. Umbarger has held the post since being appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels in 2004.

Pence said Umbarger’s is the right man to lead the country’s fourth-largest national guard.

"For more than four decades, Major General R. Martin Umbarger has selflessly served the people and state of Indiana in the Army National Guard," said Pence. "His breadth of experience is truly unmatched, and we are both honored and humbled to have a man of his caliber continue as Adjutant General within our Administration."

According to Pence’s office, Umbarger has an extensive background with the Indiana Army National Guard dating back to 1969, when he began his career as an enlisted soldier. He currently serves on the Secretary of Defense's Reserve Forces Policy Board and previously served as a member of the Secretary of the Army's Reserve Forces Policy Committee. The Bargersville resident holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Evansville

Pence also made two other state agency appointments Thursday. Michael B. Cline, another Daniels appointee, will remain as commissioner of the Indiana Department of Transportation within the Pence Administration.

John Hill, a former administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, has been named Executive Director of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.