The Montana National Guard recognized the first members to receive checks through a recruitment incentive program at the Capitol Rotunda in Helena on March 1.

The Guard Referral Incentive Program provides $1,000 payments to airmen, soldiers and veterans who refer someone to join the Montana National Guard.

Maj. Gen. Pete Hronek, adjutant general for Montana, said that one of his primary responsibilities is ensuring the Montana Guard has enough trained and ready troops for state and federal missions.

He said they currently have 494 vacancies.

Hronek said that their full strength would be about 3,700 military members.

During the March 1 ceremony, Hronek presented Senior Master Sgt. Carrie Walter of the 120th Airlift Wing with a check as she was the first airman to recruit someone to join the Guard.

Walter said her recruit was a friend’s daughter who knew Walter was in the Guard and had asked for a tour and they talked about options.

Her recruit is currently a senior at C.M. Russell High School who has enlisted, but will enter the military this summer with initial training.

The Guard also planned to present a check to a Billings soldier as the first soldier to recruit someone to the Guard, but his trip was diverted due to weather.

The program launched Oct. 1, 2023 and initially offered $500, but has since been increased to $1,000.

Hronek said that another 17 Army, eight Air Force and one veteran referrals are being processed and will be issued upon a completed enlistment.

Eligible referrers are current members of the Montana National Guard below the rank of colonel and all honorably discharged veterans who are Montana residents.

In an interview with The Electric, Hronek said that current members or veterans often talk about their Guard experiences, but the incentive helps to further encourage them to help with recruitment efforts.

Hronek said recruiting has always been a challenge for an all-volunteer military force and that outreach has changed over the years, shifting from the traditional recruiting office to social media and more direct appeals.

The recruitment incentive program helps them make connections since people want to feel like their part of a team, he said.

The 120th Airlift Wing is preparing to transition to new aircraft in the near future.

Last fall, the Montana Air National Guard was selected to receive eight C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, after years of effort to modernize from the current C-130H model the unit currently flies.

Hronek said the environmental assessment for the 120th had been completed and the Guard was working on the plan for needed construction for the new planes and training for the crews on the new airframe.

The Air Force said last fall that the upgrade requires new flight qualification for pilots and loadmasters transitioning to the new aircraft.

Hronek said he expects it will be two to three years before they make the full transition to the C-130J.

The Guard is also developing options for Gov. Greg Gianforte for the Montana Guard to support southern border operations.

Hronek said that the Texas governor has asked other states for support and that it would be up to Gianforte to decide how the Montana Guard would support based on the options they provide to the governor.