Colonel Kent Crane, a Topeka native and current commander of the 190th Air Refueling Wing at Forbes Field, was advanced by a legislative committee as the governor's nominee to be a brigadier general in the Kansas Air National Guard.

Brigadier General Jason Kenobi, assistant adjutant general for the Air, introduced Crane and summarized his career: a Washburn Rural High School and Kansas State University graduate who served on active duty and in the Guard, commanded at squadron, group and wing levels, and deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Odyssey Dawn, Operation Unified Protector, Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Freedom Sentinel.

Crane told the committee he has led the 190th through readiness inspections and deployments, and emphasized the wing’s role in strategic air-refueling and deterrence. "The 190th provides rapid global mobility air power and deploys expeditionary forces in support of worldwide combat, contingency, and humanitarian operations," Crane said. He described the wing as operating a fleet of 12 KC-135R aircraft and comprising about 980 military personnel, and said the unit maintained two nuclear strategic deterrent missions around the clock during the COVID-19 pandemic and runway work at Forbes Field.

Committee members thanked Crane for his service and asked about the National Guard’s domestic employment. President Masterson asked whether Crane was comfortable commenting on current uses of the Guard. Crane replied that the legal authority depends on force status — whether personnel are federalized under Title 10 or under the governor with Title 32 — and said legal determinations are best made by a group of professionals. "If you ask my opinion of what we are doing, I think I'd have to just go back to our oath of office ... The real question I think is whether or not what is happening is legal," Crane said.

Crane closed by pledging to uphold both the U.S. and Kansas constitutions and to advocate for resources and mentorship for Guard airmen. Committee members did not request further testimony. The committee later moved to advance the nominee list by voice vote; the motion advanced Crane and the other nominees to the full Senate for confirmation.

Speakers quoted in this article are identified from the committee hearing record and include Colonel Kent Crane and Brigadier General Jason Kenobi, who introduced the nominee. The committee's final action was a voice vote; the transcript does not include a roll-call tally.