[4] By statute, the Chief is appointed as a four-star general[4] in the Army or Air Force, serving as a reserve officer on active duty.

[8][9][10] In 1921 Pennsylvania National Guard officer George C. Rickards became the first Guardsman to serve as Chief, and he held the post until his 1925 retirement.

In 2012, the position became the seventh member of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff via the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on 31 December 2011.

The sitting Joint Chiefs at the time, had opposed the addition of another member, but the president promised in his 2008 campaign to elevate the office.

The current version of the flag was adopted in 2008 when the position of Chief of the National Guard Bureau was upgraded to four-star general.