Despite a letter dated October 13 appointing retired US Army colonel Karin Watson as the next adjutant general of the Guam National Guard, Adelup says there’s been no official change in command. 

The letter from Governor Lou Leon Guerrero was addressed to Watson and identified October 27 as the effective date of her appointment. But the governor’s chief of staff, Jon Junior Calvo, clarified in a memo to current adjutant general Michael Cruz that the correspondence does not complete the appointment process. 

Calvo stated that certain statutory and procedural steps — including a formal notice to the legislature — still need to be finalized. For now, Cruz remains in command as adjutant general and director of military affairs.

Adelup confirms Cruz has long planned to retire and was not asked to step down. Cruz, a former lieutenant governor and surgeon, was appointed to the post in March 2023.