RALEIGH — A colonel who led troops on two tours in Iraq has been chosen to lead the N.C. National Guard.

Col. Gregory A. Lusk has been promoted to adjutant general, effective Oct. 1. He will replace outgoing Maj. Gen. William E. Ingram Jr., who has commanded the Guard since 2001.

Gov. Bev Perdue announced the appointment late this morning.

Lusk has been a member of the National Guard since 1979. He commanded the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team during two tours in Iraq, beginning in 2003 and 2009. The 30th is North Carolina's largest guard unit, with more than 4,000 soldiers.

Lusk will now command the nearly 12,000 citizen soldiers and airmen of the N.C. Army and Air National Guard. He is a graduate of N.C. State University and the U.S. Army War College and is a financial advisory for Waddell & Reed and owns Handy Man Hardware, both in Raleigh.