Topeka ? Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed a new adjutant general Thursday, selecting Col. Tod Bunting to lead the Kansas National Guard.

Bunting, 45, takes the position after the October retirement of Maj. Gen. Greg Gardner. Since 2002, Bunting has been director of diversity, personnel and training for the Air National Guard in Arlington, Va.

“I’m just so proud and honored to come home and serve my state again,” Bunting said in a telephone interview from the Pentagon. “My assignments outside of Kansas have only strengthened my appreciation for the values in Kansas.”

Bunting’s first day as adjutant general will be Jan. 2. Since Gardner’s retirement, Brig. Gen. Jonathan Small has been serving as acting adjutant general.

Besides overseeing operations of the 8,000-member Kansas National Guard, Bunting becomes the director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management and state homeland security director. Sebelius is considering whether the adjutant general should keep the latter duty.

His appointment must be confirmed by the state Senate after legislators convene Jan. 12 for their 2004 session.

“Col. Bunting knows Kansas well and also has worked in key positions around the country,” Sebelius said in a statement. “This combination of experiences provides a strong background for this important position with the Kansas National Guard. After a national search, I have selected the person best suited to lead the Kansas Guard into the future.”

Small will return to his previous position as commander of the Kansas Army National Guard. He said he had worked with Bunting in a number of opportunities and found him to be a talented and skilled officer.

“He has a number of attributes that are important,” Small said. “He has a good working knowledge of the Air and Army affairs. I’m confident he can do this.”

Gardner also praised the appointment.

“Tod will bring current guard experience from working in the headquarters in Washington,” Gardner said in an interview. “That should be important to the future of the Kansas National Guard.”

Small, a 24-year veteran of the Kansas Army National Guard, also plans to return full time to his active legal and lobbying practice.

In his present job, Bunting is responsible for Air Force personnel mobilization programs and is the point of contact at the National Guard Bureau for state adjutant generals and 109,000 Air National Guard members.

Bunting’s father, Alfred Bunting, was a brigadier general in the Kansas Air National Guard.

Gardner, 50, retired Oct. 31 to spend more time with his family. He was appointed adjutant general in 1999 by Gov. Bill Graves and reappointed by Sebelius.

However, Gardner faced legislative criticism during 2003 over personnel issues and questions about whether the Kansas Army National Guard inflated its troop strength. An internal audit later said there was no inflation.

Bunting said it was important to focus on new challenges, including the pursuit of new military roles for Kansas, as well as continued transformation of Air and Army guard operations. In October, the Army and Air guard commands combined to form a single joint headquarters, following orders from the federal level.