Esther Aguigui

Esther Aguigui (born 13 November 1961) is an Army National Guard officer who served as the Adjutant General of the Guam National Guard from 2019 to 2023. She was appointed by Governor of Guam Lou Leon Guerrero in 2019. She was the first female officer to lead the Guam National Guard.

As the Adjutant General, she was responsible for leading and coordinating the use of the Guam National Guard in both territorial and federal matters.

Education Esther Aguigui graduated from George Washington High School in Mangilao, Guam in 1980. She earned a B.A. in Education from the University of Guam in 1989. Aguigui also earned a M.A. in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College in 2017.

Adjutant General Guam National Guard Adjutant General Major General (GU) Esther Aguigui delivers remarks during a Memorial Day ceremony at the Guam Veterans Cemetery in Piti May 27 (U.S. Navy photo by Alana Chargualaf.) Major General (GU) Esther Aguigui is briefed on an engineering project for the Guam National Guard. Note the Guam flag patch on her shoulder indicating that her rank is recognized in Guam only. (U.S. Army photo by Mark Scott.) On January 27, 2019, Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero nominated Lieutenant Colonel Esther Aguigui to be the next adjutant general of Guam, replacing Brigadier General Roderick R. Leon Guerrero who had been serving as adjutant general since 2015. The appointment was met with controversy as to whether or not Aguigui met the qualifications and rank to take command of the Guam National Guard, and due to a letter of reprimand issued to her by the outgoing Adjutant General. The reprimand was later found to have been inappropriately issued. However her rank caused Brigadier General Diron J. Cruz, the current Assistant Adjutant General to resign to avoid being subordinate to a lower ranking officer. To address this issue, the Guam Government state that Adjutant General is a position and not a rank. Her federal recognition as a Colonel was pending, due to undisclosed reasons, despite a personal appeal from the Governor of Guam.

Aguigui was unanimously approved by the Guam Legislature as the Adjutant General on April 16, 2019. Aguigui has also received criticism for her staff picks and leadership from members of the Guam National Guard in letters sent to the Governor of Guam.

Aguigui retired from the military in 2023 and was succeeded by Michael Cruz.

Civilian career From 1985 until 2001, Aguigui worked as a teacher at George Washington High School in Mangilao and Agueda Johnston Middle School in Chalan Pago-Ordot, Guam for the Guam Department of Education.

First Lieutenant ARNG 26 July 2001

Colonel (GU) GU 15 March 2019

Major General (GU) GU 5 May 2019