35-year veteran of SC National Guard picked to lead state's military
Brigadier General Robin Stilwell, the governor's choice for adjutant general, speaks in the governor's office on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025. (Photo by Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette)
COLUMBIA — A longtime member of the state's National Guard is the governor's choice to lead the state's military force.
Brig. Gen. Robin Stilwell will be the second adjutant general chosen by the governor instead of by popular election after a 2014 change approved by voters. The first was Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, who remain adjutant general until his replacement is confirmed by the state Senate.
If that's Stilwell, as expected, he will oversee more than 9,300 Army National Guard and 1,300 Air National Guard members tasked with responding to natural disasters and fighting in wars.
'It is a pleasure to have the opportunity and the privilege for all South Carolinians to have a man like this, a leader like this, at the helm of this most important job in our state,' Gov. Henry McMaster said when announcing his choice Tuesday.
Stilwell has been director of guard's Joint Staff since 2022, where he is in charge of supporting the state's domestic response and homeland defense operations. The 58-year-old has also been a Circuit Court judge in Greenville since 2009.
A career infantry officer, Stilwell has been a member of the National Guard for nearly 35 years, he said. He has served in Afghanistan, Kosovo and Kuwait and commanded a battalion in Union and brigades in Eastover and Charleston, according to his online biography.
The 58-year-old has won many awards during his military career, including the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal and a Legion of Merit, according to the governor's office.
With that amount of experience, 'I don't think there's any kind of problem that could knock Robin Stilwell over,' McMaster said.
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Stilwell sees the National Guard as an extended family after being part of it for so long, he said. That gives him an appreciation not just of the responsibilities of the office but of the people performing those duties, he said.
'I believe very strongly that the most important element or part of any organization — and this is particularly true of a military organization — is its people,' Stilwell said.
Getting Senate approval shouldn't be a problem, said Sen. Tom Young, who chairs the Senate Family and Veterans' Services Committee that will vet Stilwell.
'I am confident that General Stilwell will lead the men and women of our state's Military Department with vision, passion and integrity,' the Aiken Republican said.
McCarty decided to step down at age 65 to allow his successor to serve a full four-year term, McMaster said.
After McMaster appointed McCarty in 2019, the major general oversaw the state through its COVID-19 response, including deploying National Guard members to run testing sites and administer vaccines.
His troops also went to Washington, D.C., to help with two presidential inaugurations and to the country's southern border with Mexico at the request of Texas authorities and the Department of Defense. In 2023, troops left for a yearlong mission with U.S. Africa Command based in Djibouti, a small country on the continent's northeast coast opposite Yemen.
National Guard members remain in Texas, as well as in Poland, Syria and Saudi Arabia, McCarty said.
McCarty did 'a magnificent job,' McMaster said. 'We hate to see him go.'
McCarty said when he first took office, McMaster told him, 'When our state and nation calls, we will answer.'
'We have done that,' McCarty said. 'So will your selection, Brig. Gen. Stilwell.'
During his retirement, McCarty plans to spend some more time with his wife, their five children and their six granddaughters, he said.
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