The Adjutant General of South Carolina is head of the South Carolina Military Department, overseeing the South Carolina National Guard, the South Carolina State Guard and the South Carolina Emergency Management Division. The Adjutant General is the highest-ranking uniformed officer in the state, subordinate to the Governor who serves as Commander-in-Chief of the South Carolina National Guard.
The office was the only state adjutant general in the United States that was an elected position. In 2014, South Carolina voters approved a referendum amending the state constitution to provide for the adjutant general to be appointed by the governor, effective in 2019.[1]
The Current AG is Major General Van McCarty. He was appointed to the position on January 17, 2019 by Governor Henry McMaster following the retirement of Major General Robert Livingston. MG McCarty had previously served as Assistant Adjutant General, Army.[1]
The adjutant general leads the Military Department of South Carolina.[1]