 He is a retired United States Army Major General who served as the Adjutant General of Oregon and was Director of the Army National Guard and acting Chief of the National Guard Bureau.As Adjutant General, Rees was responsible for providing the State of Oregon and the United States with a ready force of citizen soldiers and airmen, equipped and trained to respond to any contingency, natural or man made.He directed, managed, and supervised the administration, discipline, organization, training and mobilization of the Oregon National Guard, the Oregon State Defense Force, the Joint Force Headquarters and the Office of Oregon Emergency Management.