Maryland National Guard promotes Joint Staff director to general
By Master Sgt. Chris Schepers
Maryland Air National Guard Col. Amy P. Kremser, director of the Maryland National Guard Joint Staff, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general during a ceremony hosted by Maryland Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, adjutant general for Maryland, July 8, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland.
“The dedication to people and mission and the leadership that Col. Kremser has demonstrated over 25 faithful years of service in the United States Air Force and Maryland Air National Guard has prepared her for this next step in her career,” said Birckhead. “I have full confidence that Brigadier General Kremser will help our team take the Maryland National Guard and the Soldiers and Airmen that make up our force to the highest levels of service to both Maryland and the United States of America.”
Kremser joined the U.S. Air Force in 1998 after receiving her commission from the United States Air Force Academy. Upon completion of undergraduate pilot training, Kremser began her flying career in August 2000 as a C-130E AWADS pilot at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
Following active duty, her flying career continued with the Maryland Air National Guard’s 135th Airlift Squadron, which she joined in October 2005. As a member of the Air Guard, she flew the advanced C-130J airlifter.
During her career, Kremser has deployed multiple times in support of operations around the world. Her deployments include support of Operations Northern Watch, Joint Endeavor, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom, as well as supporting Joint Task Force Horn of Africa and several missions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
“Being able to fly was the dream of a lifetime and something I’ll always treasure,” Kremser said. “I loved the C-130 mission and the people I worked with were top notch, both on active duty and in the Guard.”
Before joining the Joint Staff, Kremser served as the 175th Mission Support Group commander, where she provided leadership for four squadrons, one flight, and a contracting section totaling more than 450 personnel. During emergencies, including the Maryland National Guard response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Kremser served as the 175th Wing Emergency Operations Center director.
“In many ways, the pandemic was the ultimate domestic operations challenge,” Kremser said. “From a standing start with absolutely no warning, we went to full-fledged multispectrum operations, and we did it for years. The people I worked with performed magnificently, and there’s no question that this was a pivotal moment in my career.”
In her role as the director of the Joint Staff, Kremser now leads the administration, coordination, planning, development, and education of all Joint Staff programs supporting Maryland domestic response and Homeland Defense contingency operations. She also provides oversight to joint Maryland elements, including the 32nd Civil Support Team, Counterdrug Task Force, Honor Guard, and the State Partnership Program.
“The Joint Staff is a phenomenal group of people, and I’m very much in a listening and learning mode right now,” Kremser said. “As we get to know each other, I hope to leverage the knowledge and experience I’ve gained over the years to help raise the bar a notch or two – which is not an easy thing to do, because they’ve set the bar so high already!”
Before assuming the role as the director of the Joint Staff, Kremser held the position of Maryland Air National Guard chief of staff.
