SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gov. Gary R. Herbert has appointed a 30-year military veteran to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Utah National Guard.

Brigadier General Jefferson Burton was named Adjutant General on Thursday. He’s currently the Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General.

Burton will serve a six-year term overseeing the 7,000 airman and soldiers in more than two dozen communities throughout Utah. The job includes recruiting, training and equipping people for assignments in Utah and around the world.

Burton replaces Major General Brian Tarbet, who will retire this fall. Tarbet served two terms in the post and will be the third longest-serving adjutant general in the Utah National Guard’s 118-year history.