Frankfurt is home to a new military headquarters more than 20 years in the making.

Yesterday, the Kentucky National Guard and Kentucky Air National Guard cut the ribbon on a new Joint Force headquarters at the Daniel Boone National Guard Center.

We in the Kentucky National Guard are not the same organization today when we were first established.

And so the building behind me, it really gives a sense of that type of change and evolution for the guard and who and what we are today.

But ladies and gentlemen, this may just look like bricks and mortar and steel and glass, but this is a very sophisticated building and we're very proud of it.

It not only is incredibly energy efficient, but it's going to meet our needs and serve us for years to come.

So so what it does enables us to consolidate everything from the Kentucky National Guard command Group.

It enables us to be at the cutting edge of DOD for the equipping, for the resourcing that comes to us.

I know and this may sound kind of try to in a way, but the proficiency of the man and the women we've got in the guard today, it makes me proud to be one of you and to serve with each of you.

And I'm biased, too.

The Kentucky National Guard, you've heard me say this before, but across the 54 states and territories that the Kentucky National Guard is up in the top metrics in every category agree that makes a difference to any of the 54 states and territories.

And I've seen firsthand what facilities like this can mean, because this facility, like the emergency operations center and the Army Air Support facility, both housed here, will continue to help us to direct missions ranging from national defense to emergency response.

This enables us to be a more efficient organization, a more collaborative organization.

Quite simply, in organization that is prepared to evolve even further.

The building was designed to be energy efficient.

The Joint Command headquarters cost almost $16 million, with the federal government paying most of that.

And Kentucky paying just 2% of it.