Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is appointing U.S. Army National Guard Brigadier General Francis J. Evon Jr. of Newington to succeed Maj. Gen. Thaddeus J. Martin as head of the Connecticut National Guard.

Martin, who retires next week after 40 years of military service, is the longest currently tenured adjutant general in the country, according to Malloy's office. He's held the post since May 1, 2005.

"On behalf of the entire State of Connecticut, I extend my deepest appreciation to Major General Martin, who for the last 13 years led the Connecticut National Guard with diligence, valor, and dependability, and we are proud for all that he has given our state," Malloy said in a statement.

During his tenure, Martin oversaw the deployment of more than 6,000 Connecticut Guardsmen and the Connecticut National Guard's response to major national disasters including hurricanes Katrina, Harvey and Maria and Superstorm Sandy.

"We are an organization designed around our most important asset — our 4,700 Guardsmen. I thank Governor Rell and Governor Malloy for providing me the opportunity to serve my nation and state in such a distinguished role, and have no doubt Brigadier General Evon will continue to push the limits of this organization to a level of excellence not yet seen," Martin said in a statement.

Evon has spent more than 30 years in the military, including as a former assistant adjutant general of the Connecticut Army National Guard and deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Military Department.

The adjutant general is under the purview of the governor and the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and is responsible for providing operationally trained, equipped and mission-ready forces to support both U.S. mobilization requirements and state emergency operations to include developing and coordinating counter-terrorism and domestic preparedness contingencies for Connecticut, a news release from Malloy's office says.

A change of command ceremony will be held on July 7 at the William A. O'Neill State Armory in Hartford.