Deal names new deputy adjutant general

Gov. Nathan Deal has appointed a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan to head up the state's Army  National Guard.

Lt. Col. Joe Jarrard of Dahlonega will be the state's deputy adjutant general and will oversee the Army wing of the agency. Jarrard served under Gen. David Patraeus in Afghanistan and served two active duty tours in Iraq.

Jarrard takes over for Major Gen. Maria Britt, who announced she would step down after Adjutant General Terry Nesbitt retired. Deal named state Sen. Jim Butterworth, R-Cornelia, as Nesbitt's successor. Butterworth is a Delta Air Lines pilot who flew B-1 bombers for the Georgia Air National Guard.