Nikki Haley calls husband's National Guard deployment a 'moment of pride'

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Saturday that while it was difficult having her husband deploy to Africa with the South Carolina Army National Guard, the assignment represents a "moment of pride" for the state and the country.

The official deployment ceremony for the brigade that includes Michael Haley took place Saturday afternoon at The Citadel military college in Charleston. The brigade is deploying to Africa in support of the United States Africa Command.

A person familiar with the deployment details told CNN that Michael Haley will likely remain deployed through the spring of 2024, which overlaps with much of the Republican primary nominating calendar. This will be his second active-duty deployment overseas - he previously served in Afghanistan as part of the South Carolina Army National Guard in 2013 when his wife was serving as the state's governor.

"Father's Day is different this year," Nikki Haley told reporters after the ceremony, which she attended with other family members.

The former US ambassador to the United Nations said that she and her husband would "continue to stay in touch as best as we can" over the coming year and that she knew he would be supporting her presidential ambitions from afar.

"He's my rock. He always has been. But I've been his as well. We have both lived a life of service. And so when he goes off to deploy, my support is completely with him. If I happen to be running for president, his support is completely with me. Two things can be true at the same time," she said.

"I'm just one of many military spouses that are watching their loved ones leave today. And we feel an amazing sense of pride. We feel an amazing sense of service. And we may feel an amazing sense of sadness," the former governor added. "But at the same time, we could not be happier to see them going and doing what they, in their blood, are meant to do."