Guard News - The National Guard

Top enlisted National Guard leader visits Djibouti
January 23, 2019 — CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti – The command sergeant major of the National Guard Bureau, U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Kepner, visited Army and Air National Guard members working for the Combined... MORE

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Kepner, the command sergeant major of the National Guard Bureau, speaks to National Guard members deployed to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) from the 1-141st Infantry Regiment, Task Force Alamo, Texas National Guard, Jan. 18, 2019, at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. Of the nearly 2,000 service members assigned to CJTF-HOA, 43 percent of them are National Guard members.

Guard cyber units evolve as cyber threats continue
January 22, 2019 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Just as the cyber threat has continued to evolve and grow, so too have the National Guard’s cyber teams and cyber capabilities, said Guard officials during a cyber roundtable... MORE

Senior Airman David Daniel, left, with the Maryland Air National Guard's 275th Cyber Operations Squadron, points out key pieces of information on cyber defense operations to Army Maj. Steven Jackson, assistant intelligence officer with with the Mississippi National Guard, and Army Staff Sgt. Nyesha Bradley, with the Louisiana Army National Guard's D Company, 769th Brigade Engineer Battalion, during exercise Cyber Shield 17 at Camp W.G. Williams in Bluffdale, Utah, in April 2017.

Fort Indiantown Gap finishes No. 1 in nation for 2018
January 22, 2019 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Fort Indiantown Gap, run by the Pennsylvania National Guard and Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, finished first out of 48 National Guard training... MORE

A Fort Indiantown Gap Training Center sign located at the southwest entrance to the post along Fisher Avenue welcomes visitors to the installation. Oct. 31, 2018.

N.Y. Guard troops on duty for year's first major snow storm
January 18, 2019 — LATHAM, N.Y. – The New York National Guard placed over 450 Soldiers and Airmen on duty Friday, at the direction of New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, as the first major snow storm of 2019 headed for New... MORE

New York Air National Guard Master Sgt. Peyton Knippel, assigned to the 174th Attack Wing, prepares a humvee for a snow storm response missoion as Hancock Field Air National Guard Base , Syracuse, N.Y. on Jan. 18, 2019. The New York National Guard alerted 450 Airmen and Soldiers for possible missions as a major snow storm approached New York.

N.Y. Guard Airmen and Soldiers assist police with security
January 18, 2019 — NEW YORK – New York National Guard Soldiers and Airmen went up in the air and down in the ground Jan. 10 and 14 as part of their mission to help law enforcement agencies deter terrorism in New York... MORE

New York National Guard Soldiers of Joint Task Force Empire Shield stand with Triburough Bridge and Tunnel Authority officers and State Troopers, at the Verrazano Bridge, Staten Island, N.Y., Jan. 10, 2019. Soldiers and Troopers were conducting Operation Catch-All, a security operation to prevent terrorism in New York City and the Triburough area.

173rd FW vehicle maintenance braces for heavy winter snows
January 17, 2019 — KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The Klamath Basin sits at more than 4,000 feet of elevation and gets its fair share of snow during the winter months. Thanks to plowing operations the 173rd Fighter Wing... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. James Childs, 173rd Fighter Wing vehicle maintenance shop, releases a cascade of sparks with a cutting torch during fabrication of a support bracket for a roll-over snow plow, Jan. 14, 2019.

A family affair: Wyoming brothers share military experience
January 16, 2019 — CHEYENNE, Wyo. – When your father has spent the last 35 years dedicated to military service, following in his footsteps by joining the Air National Guard is hard to shake.Despite claiming he would... MORE

Airmen 1st Class and brothers Christian, left, and Harrison Linde are both crew chiefs in the Wyoming Air National Guard's 153rd Airlift Wing. The brothers went through basic and advanced training together.

Pa. Guard leads testing on new Army personnel and pay system
January 16, 2019 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldiers are playing a major role in the development and testing of a new personnel and pay system that will transform the Army's human... MORE

Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldiers conduct testing on the Army’s new Integrated Personnel and Pay System Army (IPPS-A) at Fort Indiantown Gap Jan. 10, 2019. The Pennsylvania Army National Guard was selected to be the beta test state for the new system three years ago, and has since been heavily involved with the development and testing of the system.

Fries to cybersecurity: Military gave Airman a new field
January 16, 2019 — NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For people who need a career change, the military is often a great choice for finding that new calling.One Airman proved this concept to the fullest, using the Air National Guard as... MORE

U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. William, a flight commander at the 118th Wing, Tennessee Air National Guard, poses for a photo on Jan. 13, 2019, at Berry Field Air National Guard Base, Nashville. William used the education and opportunities provided by the Guard to spark a career change from the fast food industry to the cybersecurity field.

126th Aviation Reg. flies winter skies of western New York
January 15, 2019 — YOUNGSTOWN, N.Y. – Two CH-47 Chinook aircrews of the New York Army National Guard from Rochester gave a lift to troopers from a Buffalo-based cavalry squadron during cold-weather training at the... MORE

Soldiers assigned to Charlie Troop, 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry Regiment, New York Army National Guard from Buffalo, await to hot-load onto a CH-47 Chinook from Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, NYARNG from Rochester, at the National Guard training site in Youngstown, N.Y., Jan. 12, 2019.

From the streets to the military: Service changed his life
January 14, 2019 — SHELLEY, Idaho – As a homeless kid, Idaho Army National Guard Capt. Adam Rios broke into an abandoned building in Utica, New York, where he found an old cigar box. Inside the box were various small... MORE

Idaho Army National Guard Capt. Adam Rios was a troubled kid who grew up homeless in New York. He says his foster parents and the military helped him turn his life around.

North Carolina Guard team enhances Antarctic communications
January 14, 2019 — McMURDO STATION, Antarctica – When December rolls around all eyes are traditionally focused on the North Pole. That was not the case this year however, for four members of the 263rd Combat... MORE

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kristofer Vandermark, far left; Staff Sgt. Titus Poulose, left; Staff Sgt. Michael Jennings, right; and Master Sgt. Chris Farnsworth, far right, of the 263rd Combat Communications Squadron, a detachment of the 145th Airlift Wing, pose for a photo while deployed to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze (ODF), at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Dec. 1, 2018. ODF is a military mission in support of the National Science Foundation throughout the continent of Antarctica, to provide air, land, and sea support to McMurdo Station.

Working on Bush funeral train was 'a chance of a lifetime'
January 11, 2019 — LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. – Having served in the Arkansas Air National Guard as a member of the 189th Services Flight for the past 19 years, a police officer with the North Little Rock police... MORE

Master Sgt. Shana Cobbs in front of the George Bush 4141 Locomotive Dec. 3, 2018, in Spring, Texas Cobbs provided security for the locomotive during the Bush funeral detail, securing the areas prior to arrival at each location.

Oklahoma Guard’s civil support team practices rope rescues
January 10, 2019 — WOODWARD, Okla. – "Rescuer on the ground!" shouts a Soldier with the Oklahoma National Guard's elite 63rd Civil Support Team as he safely reaches the surface. "Up on main!" the rest of the 63rd CST... MORE

Oklahoma National Guard members of the 63rd Civil Support Team, conduct ropes rescue technician training Jan. 8, 2019, at the High Plains Technology Center in Woodward, Oklahoma. The training is part of an annual refresher and re-certification for unit members who continually train on aspects that directly affect their mission of being the Oklahoma National Guard’s team of first responders. The event included the basics of rope rescue from knot tying, to the more advanced portion of rappelling down and up a steep, simulated cliff.

Wash. military intelligence battalion focuses on languages
January 10, 2019 — JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – The Washington National Guard routinely trains and prepares for all sorts of disasters. Guard members get Red Card-certified for fires, helicopter pilots recertify... MORE

Sgt. Nikole Johnson, cryptologic linguist, Delta Company 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, focuses on language training during Inactive Duty Training on Jan. 5, 2019, at the Information Operations Readiness Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

N.Y. Army Guard lieutenant creates free map graphics app
January 10, 2019 — ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Need an easy and quick way to turn your operations plan into map graphics? Thanks to New York Army National Guard 1st Lt. James Pistell, there's an app for that! Pistell, the... MORE

The MGRS-Mapper computer application developed by New York Army National Guard 1st Lt. James Pistell allows users to overlay the military grid reference system on a Google maps image and then create and place tactical and warfighting graphics and symbols on it to be used as an overlay and shared via email.

D.C. Air Guard unit protects skies over nation’s capital
January 10, 2019 — JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. – "Scramble, scramble, scramble," a monotonous, booming voice blares from a speaker inside a spotless hangar. As the words echo through the open space, Air Force Col. John... MORE

Air Force Lt. Col. Jason Halvorsen, a pilot with the District of Columbia Air National Guard's Aerospace Control Alert Detachment, goes through a pre-flight check in an F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft during a training event at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, Dec. 19, 2018. Halvorsen is one of several pilots with the detachment, which is tasked with keeping the Washington, D.C., area safe from airborne threats. The ACAD has responded to more than 6,200 alert events since its formation in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

New York Airmen pay tribute to President Millard Fillmore
January 9, 2019 — BUFFALO, N.Y – With the community gathered in a yearly tradition, the commander of the 107th Medical Group of the New York National Guard's 107th Attack Wing honored the nation's 13th president,... MORE

Col. Eric Laughton, commander of the 107th Medical Group, New York Air National Guard, lays a wreath at the grave of President Millard Fillmore on behalf of President Donald Trump during a ceremony honoring him on his birthday, Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, N.Y., Jan. 7, 2019. Fillmore was president from 1850-1853, and has a wreath laid at his grave every year on his birthday by the 107th Attack Wing, New York Air National Guard.

Washington National Guard preps for flooding with partners
January 9, 2019 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – During disasters, Washington National Guard members routinely find themselves working with emergency management professionals from across the state. Pre-coordination and... MORE

Airmen and Soldiers of the Washington National Guard assist with sandbagging during the 2017 flooding in Sprague, Wash.

First Army strengthens partnership with Guard senior leaders
January 9, 2019 — CAMP ROBINSON, Ark. – When the First Army commanding general arrived here to speak to National Guard senior leaders, his message was one of Total Force partnership. "Your success is our mission," said... MORE

First Army Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Thomas James talks to the National Guard Division Commanders at the Green Tab Commanders Conference held at the Professional Education Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, Jan. 4, 2019. James said he has enormous respect for the National Guard and their capability of staying trained, mission capable, and juggling a civilian life as well.

Puerto Rico Air Guard Conducts Deployment for Training at Aviano

Alaska Air Guard 168th Medical Group Trains for High-Stakes Missions

Civic Leaders Fly With Alaska Air Guard During Red Flag Alaska 25-2

Washington Army Guard Trains in Water Bucket Operations

Alaska Army Guard Rescues Family Stranded on River During Storm