Maj. Gen. Anthony Woods

Commanding General

Major General (MG) Anthony Woods received an early commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1984 through the ROTC program at the University of Texas at Arlington.  He received a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Texas Christian University in 1987 and an M.S. from the United States Army War College in 2010.  He served in several leadership positions in 1st Battalion 112th Armor, Dallas, Texas. These positions include serving as the Battalion Executive Officer during Operation Noble Eagle.  Noble Eagle was the first deployment of troops to protect America’s infrastructure from Terrorist attacks after 9-11.  In 2005, MG Woods became the first African American Commander of the 1st Battalion, 112th Armor, leading his unit in the first American training exercise in the country of Romania after the fall of the Soviet Union.  In 2006, MG Woods served as Deputy Commander for Operation Jump Start (OJS), an initiative started by President Bush to secure the Southwest border.  He also served as the Deputy Commander of the Joint Interagency Task Force (JI-A-TF).  JIATF was Texas's first attempt to establish a dedicated task force designed to support Law Enforcement during a manmade or natural disaster.  MG Woods commanded the 136th Combined Arms Training Regiment in 2010, leading it to be awarded the Institution of Excellence by the Army Training and Doctrine Command.  In 2012, MG Woods deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, as the Task Force Commander of the Security Force Agency Task Force (S-FAT).  SFAT was given the task of overseeing and mentoring Brigade and Kandak staffs throughout Southern Afghanistan.  From 2015 until now MG Woods has served in various positions with the State Guard to include his current position as Commanding General.  As a former Dallas Police Officer and Special Agent (SA) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), SA Woods served in the Los Angeles Field Division before moving to the Houston Field Division Waco Resident Office in 1999.  In 2005, SA Woods transferred to the Houston office where he served on several High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area teams (HIDTA) before moving to the technical group. MG Woods retired from the DEA in June 2018. 

MG Anthony Woods is married to Cecilia, formerly Cecilia Durham of Dallas, Texas. They have been married for 14 years and have seven children.  Tony, a graduate of Tarleton State University; Amanda and Christen both graduates from Sam Houston State University; Dalton, a graduate of North Texas State University; Ciara, a medical assistant student at the College of Health Care Professionals; David is in the United States Air Force stationed in Alaska; and Daniel is a Senior at Lamar University. MG and Mrs. Woods have one grandson, Marcellus Marquise Pullom. 

Command Sgt. Maj. Harlan L. Thompson

Senior Enlisted Advisor

Command Sergeant Major Harlan L. Thompson was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and graduated from Judson High School in Converse, Texas in 1986. He began his service in the Texas State Guard in August of 2003, when he enlisted as an E-1 in the Texas State Guard Air Component.

After completing Initial Entry Training, CSM Thompson was assigned to the various units in the 4th Air Wing in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In 2014, he transferred to the 5th Air Wing in San Antonio and was the Logistics NCOIC (A-4). In 2016, he transferred to the Component Headquarters, where held the positions of Operations NCOIC (A-3), Administration and Personnel NCOIC (A-1), Component Recruiter, and Security Forces Manager. His last position at the Air Component Command was as the Senior Enlisted Advisor.

When the Texas State Guard reorganized in January of 2020, CSM Thompson transferred to the 1st Brigade where he served as the NCOIC of the Reception and Training Unit, and later served as the Security Support Unit Coordinator for the 1st Brigade. CSM Thompson then transferred to the T-7, where he served as the NCOIC of the Direct Commission Officer Orientation Course. CSM Thompson is a graduate of the Airman’s Leadership Course, Basic NCO Leadership Course, Advanced NCO Leadership Course and the Texas State Guard Senior Leader Course.

His military awards include the Texas Outstanding Service Medal, Texas Medal of Merit (2), Adjutant General’s Individual Award (4), Commanding General’s Individual Award (6), Texas Faithful Service Medal, Texas State Guard Service Medal, Officer’s Professional Development Ribbon, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Texas State Guard Enlisted Personnel Basic Training Ribbon, Texas State Guard Physical Fitness Ribbon, and the State Guard Association of the United States Commendation Medal.

CSM Thompson and his wife Lisa were married in 2012. They have 3 adult children: Gary, Asley, and Jessica, and 13 grandchildren. They reside in Dallas, TX. CSM Thompson holds an Associates in Applied Science in Criminal Justice. He is a Master Peace Officer and is employed as a police sergeant with the Collin County College District.