File:Brig. Gen. (Va.) Justin P. Carlitti, Sr., took command of the Virginia Defense Force from Maj. Gen. (Va.) John Taylor.jpg

English: Brig. Gen. (Va.) Justin P. Carlitti, Sr., took command of the Virginia Defense Force from Maj. Gen. (Va.) John Taylor in a ceremony Sept. 28, 2014, at Fort Pickett. Va. Brig. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia, conducted the exchange of unit colors that signified the transfer of command. Carlitti was promoted Sept. 27 and previously served as the chief of staff for the VDF. Taylor is retiring after leading the VDF for eight years and serving in the Virginia National Guard for more than 33 years. The VDF is an all-volunteer force authorized by the Code of Virginia, organized under the Virginia Department of Military Affairs and reporting to the Adjutant General of Virginia. The members of the VDF volunteer their time for training and are only paid when called to state active duty by an authorization from the Governor of Virginia. Members of the VDF bring a wealth of skills from their civilian careers with many members having military, law enforcement, fire service or telecommunications backgrounds. During domestic operations, the VDF deploys different response teams that provide a variety of functions including communications support with Incident Management Assistance Teams, High Frequency Radio Teams, State Agencies Radio System Teams and Mobile Communication Platform Teams. Other VDF missions include providing augmentation teams to the Virginia Guard Joint Operations Center and Virginia Emergency Operations Center as well as resources for chaplain support and access control. For more information about the VDF, visit http://www.vdf.virginia.gov. (Photo by Cotton Puryear, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)