CAMP BLANDING JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Fla.- Soldiers from across the Florida Army National Guard gathered for a week-long training event at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Fla., Aug. 10, 2026. The G1 hosted event brought together personnel from major subordinate commands, battalions and unit-level sections for professional development, policy updates and direct engagement with state-level human resources specialists.
“The intent of the G1 Conference was to bring in new NCOs, new readiness NCOs and new training NCOs and give them an opportunity to meet the G1 team, meet their counterparts within their battalion and their major subordinate commands, but most importantly, baseline their knowledge in G1 functions,” said Lt. Col. Nate Carpenter, deputy G1 for the Florida Army National Guard.
Reestablishing the training summit gave personnel specialists and unit representatives an opportunity to address changes in policies, systems and administrative requirements. Breakout sessions addressed personnel actions, pay, separations, retirement points, full-time employment opportunities and other processes affecting Soldiers throughout the organization.
For leaders, the conference also provided direct feedback from unit level personnel responsible for applying G1 guidance at their home stations across the force.
“We create the policy, but we are rarely the ones executing that policy at the lowest level,” said Carpenter. “Being able to get that feedback directly from the end users is helping us become more efficient and understand the needs of the full-time team and the needs of the Soldiers that they’re caring for.”
Sgt. 1st Class James DeVaney, an enlisted personnel management noncommissioned officer with Joint Force Headquarters, G1, described the training event as both a synchronization platform and a professional development opportunity.
“It serves as a collaborative platform for addressing critical concerns, answering pressing questions and ensuring our human resources efforts are fully aligned across the entire force,” said DeVaney.
Throughout the week, attendees participated in targeted breakout sessions led by different G1 representatives. The sessions allowed participants to raise unit-specific concerns, receive guidance and share practices that have proven effective within their organizations.
According to DeVaney, bringing representatives from multiple levels of the Florida Army National Guard into the same room helped establish a shared understanding of personnel challenges.
“Being able to view an issue from multiple perspectives , from the granular unit level all the way up to the strategic G1 level, is incredibly valuable,” said DeVaney. “It bridges the gap between what the unit experiences on the ground and what the state oversees from a macro level.”
According to Staff Sgt. Alexandre Begossi, a training NCO assigned to Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, military administrative systems and procedures change frequently, making professional relationships especially important when personnel encounter unfamiliar or evolving requirements.
“The best thing that I normally get out of a conference like this is networking,” said Begossi. “If you can successfully network and build those relationships, it makes navigating the processes and the systems that much easier and more efficient.”
As not all attending members hold prior experience at the state G1 level, the training provided an opportunity to understand the process behind completing administrative actions and the rationale behind requirements. The event also allowed attendees to learn about functions outside their normal areas of responsibility.
“This course allowed me, as well as others, to learn from different sections within the G1 and broaden my understanding of the different areas of work and expertise across the organization,” said Sgt. Kiarra L. McIntosh, an administrative specialist with the Enlisted Personnel Management Actions Branch at Joint Force Headquarters. “Engaging with colleagues from the FLARNG has allowed me to gain valuable knowledge, perspectives and experiences. Problems always arise, however, the event has allowed personnel to become familiar with the different teams who can assist with reconciliation of different work issues.”
According to McIntosh, the knowledge she gained will assist her in her current assignment while providing a foundation for future positions and responsibilities.
Accurate personnel information directly affects commanders’ ability to understand the status of their formations and prepare Soldiers for training and operational requirements. By connecting state-level program managers with administrative representatives from across the force, the G1 training event strengthened professional relationships, clarified evolving processes and established a common foundation for supporting FLARNG Soldiers.
“Personnel readiness is the foundation of collective readiness in the Army,” said Carpenter. “Ensuring that our Soldiers are available, medically ready, qualified in their Military Occupational Specialty and assigned to the right positions sets conditions for a commander to create a collectively trained unit. This is a foundational step in building collective readiness as we support overall training readiness for the Florida Guard.”