Ads by Google Ads by Google

Tulsi Gabbard Is refocusing her military career In California

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard during 2015 promotion ceremony
Source: Honolulu Civil Beat

Washington, D.C. — Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is no longer a part-time soldier with the Hawaii Army National Guard. Instead, she’s a major in the U.S. Army Reserve at a command post in Silicon Valley.

Gabbard, who opted against running for reelection after a failed presidential campaign, made the transition over the summer with little fanfare.

In August, her congressional office issued a press release saying that the 17-year National Guard veteran would be joining a Civil Affairs reserve unit on a deployment to Alaska to work with Alaska Native tribes. Last week, her office issued a press release saying she would go on four weeks of active duty with the reserves to train as a Civil Affairs officer.

Neither press release explained that Gabbard had transferred out of the Hawaii Army National Guard or that she was assigned to the Army Reserve’s 351st Civil Affairs Command in Mountain View, California.

Neither press release explained that Gabbard had transferred out of the Hawaii Army National Guard or that she was assigned to the Army Reserve’s 351st Civil Affairs Command in Mountain View, California.

Colin Moore, who directs the Public Policy Center at the University of Hawaii, said it can be hard to divine Gabbard’s political future based on the switch from the Hawaii National Guard to the Army Reserve.

The only takeaway, he said, is that transferring to a mainland unit indicates she is not interested in running for local office, such as governor, in the near future.

“If she wants to return to politics she’s setting herself up to run for a bigger race maybe further down the line,” Moore said. “It may just be that this is another career move, which is totally sensible given that she will be out of Congress relatively soon.”

Read more at Civil Beat