Guard News - The National Guard

Iowa Guard, Kosovo Partners Strengthen Communications in Exercise Sentinel Sica
June 17, 2026 — POMOZOTIN, Kosovo – Iowa National Guard communications personnel participated in Exercise Sentinel Sica, a multinational communications exercise designed to test interoperability, mission command and... MORE

Iowa Air National Guard communication Airmen work to establish network connectivity while being observed by Kosovo Security Force communications soldiers during Exercise Sentinel Sica in Kosovo, June 9, 2026.

Maryland Guard Deploys in Support of US Southern Command
June 17, 2026 — SYKESVILLE, Md. – Family members, friends, military leaders and community supporters gathered to recognize more than 100 Maryland National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 29th Military Police Company... MORE

More than 100 Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 29th Military Police Company stand in formation during a deployment ceremony at the Major General Linda L. Singh Readiness Center, May 23, 2026.

Virginia Guard Soldiers Return From Deployment
June 17, 2026 — RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Hanover-based 229th Military Police, or MP, Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group returned to the United... MORE

Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the adjutant general of the Virginia National Guard, and Chief Master Sgt. John F. Nye, the Virginia National Guard’s senior enlisted leader, welcome home Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Hanover-based 229th Military Police Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group June 16, 2026, at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Wyoming Guard Hosts Counterdrug Prevention Training for Nine States
June 17, 2026 — CODY, Wyo. – Counterdrug members from across the country gathered June 9-11 for the Wyoming National Guard’s Positive Action & Prevention Strategies training, which aimed to reduce drug demand by... MORE

Wyoming Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Ty Nieters, a Drug Demand Reduction operator with the Wyoming Counterdrug Program, instructs National Guard members from across the nation during the Positive Action & Prevention Strategies training in Cody, Wyoming, June 9, 2026.

Virginia Air Guard, Finnish Partners Sharpen Tactics, Readiness
June 17, 2026 — EBBING AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ark. – Two F-22 Raptors from the Virginia Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Squadron touched down at Ebbing Air National Guard Base June 16 for a joint-training... MORE

An F-22 Raptor from the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Fighter Wing flies alongside a Finnish Air Force F-35 Lightning II at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, June 16, 2026.

N.Y. Guard Specialized Team Masters Evaluation Challenge
June 17, 2026 — AMSTERDAM, N.Y. – Airmen and Soldiers of the New York National Guard’s 2nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team demonstrated proficiency in various tasks during a recent evaluation,... MORE

New York National Guard 2nd Civil Support Team Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Slish, decontamination noncommissioned officer, right, and Staff Sgt. Tyler Center, survey team chief, left, gather contaminated items during the certification process in Schenectady, N.Y. on June 11, 2026.

Texas Guard Soldiers Earn Cavalry Spurs
June 16, 2026 — FORT HOOD, Texas – Candidates from the 1st Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, Texas Army National Guard, completed the squadron's Spur Ride June 8-11, earning their place in the Order of the Spur.The... MORE

Soldiers of the 1st Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, Texas Army National Guard, take part in the squadron's Spur Ride at Fort Hood, Texas, June 8-11, 2026.

Guard Units Hone Tactical Readiness at Sentry North Exercise
June 16, 2026 — MADISON, Wis. – About 20 National Guard units participated in the Air National Guard’s Sentry North 2026, a two-week exercise that included counter-air operations against peer adversaries designed to... MORE

A U.S. Air Force tactical aircraft maintenance specialist assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing, Florida Air National Guard, marshals an F-35A Lightning II aircraft for launch during Sentry North 2026 at Volk Field Combat Readiness Training Center, Camp Douglas, Wisconsin, June 4, 2026.

Hawaii Guard Strengthens Wildfire Response With Operation Hoʻopauahi
June 16, 2026 — HONOLULU – As Hawaii enters another wildfire season, the Hawaii National Guard has launched Operation Hoʻopauahi 2026, an annual mission that prepares Army aviation assets to support county, state and... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. John Segawa, center, a station chief assigned to the 297th Engineer Detachment Firefighting Team, 103D Troop Command, Hawaii Army National Guard, explains his equipment and capabilities to the Honolulu Fire Department in Nanakuli, Hawaii, Aug. 1, 2025.

National Guard, Adriatic Partners Strengthen Cyber Defense Skills
June 15, 2026 — ZAGREB, Croatia – More than 100 cyber professionals from seven European nations and seven U.S. National Guard state partners participated in Combined Adriatic Cyber Endeavor, or CACE, 2026, a... MORE

Maine Air National Guard Warrant Officer 1 Zachary Watkins, a white cell member, shows cyber specialists on the blue team from Montenegro’s Ministry of Defense during Combined Adriatic Cyber Endeavor 2026 at the Petar Zrinski Barracks, June 8, 2026.

Montana Guard Firefighters Strengthen Readiness With Live-Fire Training
June 15, 2026 — GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Montana Army National Guard firefighters trained alongside Airmen and state firefighters assigned to the 120th Airlift Wing Fire Department during a June 11 joint aircraft rescue... MORE

Soldiers assigned to Montana Army National Guard firefighting detachments operate an aircraft rescue firefighting vehicle during a joint live-fire training exercise at the 120th Airlift Wing in Great Falls, Montana, June 11, 2026.

Oregon Soldiers Honored After Horn of Africa Deployment
June 15, 2026 — SALEM, Ore. – More than 200 Oregon Army National Guard Soldiers from the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team stood in formation June 14 at the Salem Convention Center, where families, leaders and... MORE

Capt. Nathan Scull, formation commander, salutes as the 234th Army Band, Oregon Army National Guard, plays the national anthem during an official demobilization ceremony at the Salem Convention Center in Salem, Ore., June 14, 2026.

Michigan, Rhode Island Guardsmen Complete Rocket Training
June 12, 2026 — ALPENA, Mich. – Michigan National Guard Soldiers and Rhode Island National Guard Airmen completed a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System Rapid Infiltration, or HIRAIN, from Alpena Combat Readiness... MORE

U.S. Army Soldiers with A Battery, 1st Battalion, 182nd Field Artillery Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, roll off M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, from a C-130J Hercules aircraft at the National Training Center, Michigan, June 10, 2026 to conduct a HIMARS Rapid Infiltration, or HIRAIN, mission.

Ohio Airmen Turn Field Into High-Tech Command Center During Exercise
June 12, 2026 — ALPENA, Mich. – More than 200 Airmen from the Ohio National Guard’s 269th Combat Communications Squadron out of Springfield, Ohio, and the 123rd Air Control Squadron out of Blue Ash, Ohio, integrated... MORE

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Conner Kin, Senior Airman Jacob Quintero, and Airman 1st Class Mason Turner,
radio frequency transmission systems technicians assigned to the 123rd Air Control Squadron, install cable roof mounted antennas for the AN/TRC-214 ground-to-air command and control radio shelter June 1, 2026 for a field training exercise at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center in Michigan.

Maine Airmen Enhance Combat Life-Saving Skills
June 12, 2026 — BANGOR, Maine – Airmen from the Maine National Guard’s 101st Air Refueling Wing Medical Group recently sharpened their tactical combat casualty care, or TCCC, skills during an extensive hands-on... MORE

Master Sgt. Cailee Salerno demonstrated a proper chest seal application during the Health Applied Combat Medic Skills Course, Bangor, Maine, June 6, 2026.

Nevada Guardsman Earns Training Royal Flush Before 20
June 12, 2026 — HENDERSON, Nev. – Nevada Army National Guard Pfc. Mace Veit completed Ranger School, Airborne School, Air Assault School and Pathfinder School before his 20th birthday, accomplishing in less than six... MORE

U.S. Army Pvt. 1st Class Mace Veit, 1st Battalion, 221st Cavalry, Nevada National Guard, is being pinned his airborne pin by his sister at Fort Benning, Georgia, April 17, 2026.

Idaho Guardsmen Save New Soldier's Life at First Drill
June 11, 2026 — BOISE, Idaho – While performing his first fitness drill with the Idaho Army National Guard at Gowen Field on May 17, 17-year-old Pvt. Logan May experienced a cardiac arrest, causing his heart to stop... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Ian Walker, Pvt. Logan May, Staff Sgt. Kolten Conant and Spc. Dustyn Sneider pose for a photo on May 22, 2026, at Midvale High School in Midvale, Idaho.

Washington Guard Supports Bulgaria's Stryker Modernization Effort
June 11, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – As Bulgaria received its first Stryker vehicles this spring, a small team of Washington Army National Guard Soldiers traveled more than 5,000 miles to pass on the knowledge,... MORE

Washington Army National Guard Soldiers work alongside members of the Bulgarian Land Forces' 61st Mechanized Brigade during Stryker familiarization training in Bulgaria in 2026.

Where The State Partnership Program Began: National Guard Leaders Visit Baltics
June 10, 2026 — VILNIUS, Lithuania – When the 30th chief of the National Guard Bureau arrived in the Baltic region this month, he was not opening a new chapter in American security cooperation, he was reinforcing the... MORE

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, joins Maj. Gen. Kaspars Pudans, chief of defense for the Republic of Latvia, for a ceremonial wreath laying at the Riga Brethren Cemetery to honor Latvians who gave their lives for their country’s independence, Riga, Latvia, June 2, 2026.

Kentucky Air Wing Supports Ramstein Flag Exercise
June 10, 2026 — KARUP, Denmark – Airmen with the Kentucky National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing are supporting a NATO Allied Air Command exercise in Denmark through June 19, providing tactical airlift for an event... MORE

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Tyler Pierce, a crew chief assigned to the 123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, inspects the fuselage of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Karup Air Base, Denmark, June 4, 2026.