ARLINGTON, Va. – For many Guard members, 2025 was a busy year.
Soldiers and Airmen deployed overseas. They took part in missions along the southern border. Teams responded to natural disasters and other emergencies at home, and continued tough, challenging training to remain ready for missions yet to come, all working toward achieving peace through strength.
For U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Schwegel, a pilot with the 152nd Airlift Wing, Nevada Air National Guard, the year began with wildfires.
One of more than 2,700 Guard members called out when wildfires spread throughout the Los Angeles area, Schwegel and other Air National Guard aircrews flew C-130 Hercules aircraft equipped with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS. Nestled in the cargo area of the aircraft, MAFFS can drop 3,200 gallons of fire retardant or water in seconds and provides an aerial firefighting capability in support of civil authorities, Schwegel said.
Four units across the Department of War — three Air Guard and one Air Force Reserve — fly the MAFFS mission with eight aircraft. All eight aircraft and corresponding aircrews were activated to respond.
For Schwegel, the mission was rewarding.
“It’s our opportunity to actually make a difference and help out,” he said. “It’s gratifying to be a part of that, to be able to do something and not stay in Nevada and just watch it transpire when you know you have a capability and a skill set to help.”
It was also a challenging and exciting mission to fly.
“It’s a rush,” Schwegel said. “Our performance envelope is extremely tight. On this, we’re within 10 to 20 knots of our stall speed, we’re max gross weight, and on the drop, we’re 150 feet-ish off the terrain, which is about half of the altitude of a normal tactical airdrop that we do as part of our combat airlift mission set.”
Other Guard members assisted firefighting efforts on the ground and took part in mop-up duties after the flames were out. California Army National Guard Soldiers also found themselves back on duty in Los Angeles later in the year. Rather than a wildfire response, they provided security at key federal buildings in the area in support of U.S. Northern Command.
“We’re here to make sure everybody stays safe,” said Spc. Carlos Vasquez, a combat medic with 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery Regiment, California Army Guard. “As a National Guardsman, I’m just here to protect the community and protect the people that I’m with.”
In January, as wildfire response efforts wound down in California, about 7,800 Guard members were on duty in Washington for the 60th Presidential Inauguration. They served both behind the scenes, providing security and traffic management assistance to district and federal agencies, and as part of formal inauguration events.
“It’s incredible being able to come together in a nationwide effort to support the peaceful transition of power,” said U.S. Army Pfc. Perry Solinski, a signal operations support specialist with the District of Columbia Army National Guard’s 74th Troop Command. “It shows the true operational capabilities of the National Guard and allows us to serve our country as we’ve been trained to do.”
As inauguration duties wrapped up, more than 1,500 additional Guard members began heading to the southern border in support of U.S. NORTHCOM, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, and U.S. Border Patrol.
“Our primary role was to serve as an eye in the sky for CBP agents,” said U.S. Army Capt. Corbin Cali, commander of Detachment 1, Company A, 1st Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, D.C. Army Guard, whose unit flew missions along the border. “We flew patrols both day and night, assisting in detecting and monitoring border crossings, tracking illicit activity, and relaying real-time intelligence to ground agents.”
Simultaneously, almost 5,000 Texas National Guard members served in the Lone Star State on state active duty orders under their governor’s authority as part of Operation Lone Star, a joint task force that works with state and federal law enforcement officials, including Border Patrol, to deter, detect and stop illegal border crossings and interdict transnational criminals.
Since its formation in 2021, Operation Lone Star has detected and reported more than 194,000 potential illegal border crossings, disrupted and turned back more than 138,000 potential smuggling events, and detained and referred almost 264,000 individuals for illegally crossing into Texas from Mexico, Texas Guard officials said.
In August, more than 2,000 Guard members from six states were on duty in Washington, D.C., in support of the U.S. Marshal Service, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and other federal agencies as part of the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission. Guard members provided an additional security presence at key locations in the district and assisted with cleanup and debris removal at parks and other areas.
The mission was marked by a tragic moment when two Guard members were shot while on duty, Nov. 26.
Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, a military police officer with the 863rd Military Police Company, West Virginia Army National Guard, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, assigned to the 167th Airlift Wing, West Virginia Air National Guard, were both shot as they performed their duties near the Farragut West Metro station.
Beckstrom died from her injuries Nov. 27. As of mid-December, Wolfe has shown signs of improvement and is beginning a long and tough rehab journey, according to West Virginia Guard officials.
“Our Guardsmen are part of the very fabric of this nation,” said U.S. Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau. “We are devastated by this senseless act of violence, and we will remain on station to defend and protect our fellow citizens at home at home and abroad.”
In February, Soldiers and Airmen with the Kentucky and Indiana National Guard responded to flooding across Kentucky that claimed at least 11 lives and closed more than 300 roads.
“Our hearts go out to the people of eastern Kentucky who were hit by record-breaking floods and then followed by winter storms,” said U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Brett Milton, a pilot with the Kentucky Army National Guard who served on the flood response mission. “It felt good to be able to help them. It was a very rewarding experience for me and my team.”
Kentucky wasn’t the only area where Guard members took part in flood response efforts.
In July, Texas Army National Guard troops, later joined by Guard members from Arkansas, Arizona and North Dakota, responded within hours to extreme flooding in central Texas. Working with state and local agencies, Texas Army Guard aviators and search and rescue crews evacuated more than 525 people to safety, including children from Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas.
Alaska National Guard members were called up in October when Typhoon Halong struck the state, causing flooding and destruction in many remote villages.
That wasn’t the Alaska Guard’s only response effort this year. Throughout the year, aircrews rescued multiple lost or injured individuals in remote areas of the state in support of state and local officials.
Alaska Army National Guard aircrews were busy in other ways, too.
During exercise Special Operation Forces Arctic Medic 2025, members of an aircrew with G Company, 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, honed their flight skills in challenging environments by landing an HH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on a flatbed railcar to transfer equipment and pick up simulated patients.
“The flight crew that landed on the train was not just good, they were amazing,” said U.S. Army Col. Manuel Menendez, command surgeon with Special Operations Command North and one of the lead planners for the exercise. “I am absolutely inspired by the Alaska National Guard team, their knowledge, professionalism, willingness to solve problems with minimal guidance to plan any given mission.”
The exercise also tested the capabilities of the Casualty Protection Unit, a sled system developed by U.S. Army Maj. Titus Rund, a flight surgeon with the 207th Aviation Troop Command, Alaska Army Guard, that helps improve patient care and transportation in cold weather.
The system helps the patient retain body heat – critical in an Arctic area – and reduces the patient’s overall heat signature, making it more difficult for enemy forces to detect. Prototypes continue to undergo testing.
This year also saw several units expand and modernize capabilities with upgraded equipment.
Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery Regiment, Louisiana Army National Guard, completed critical modernization efforts to their AN/TPQ-53 radar systems. Mounted on 5-ton tactical trucks, the systems underwent hardware modifications and software upgrades to enhance operational capabilities.
Pilots with the 125th Fighter Wing, Florida Air National Guard, began flying the F-35A Lighting II fifth-generation fighter aircraft, bringing additional significance to the unit’s nickname – The Thunder.
“The F-35 is a cornerstone to our national defense,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Mansour Elhihi, the wing commander. “This advanced aircraft directly supports our national security objectives, keeping us poised to respond, dominate and win in any battle space.”
Meanwhile, Airmen with the New York Air National Guard’s 105th Airlift Wing added microvanes to their C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft. The 3D-printed microvanes attach to the rear body of the aircraft, reducing drag and increasing fuel efficiency. Aircraft can fly farther while carrying more cargo, ultimately strengthening operational readiness and capability, said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Eric Durkins, commander of the 105th Maintenance Squadron, New York Air Guard.
Aircrews with the Tennessee Army National Guard traded in their UH-60L Black Hawk “Lima” model helicopters for the upgraded “Victor” model Black Hawk.
“The Lima model has effectively zero digitization,” said U.S. Army Capt. Jayson Cooper, commander of the Tennessee Army Guard’s Army Aviation Support Facility #1. “It’s all traditional gauges with needles and painted numbers. In contrast, the Victor model provides a moving map display, real-time positional awareness, and more intuitive monitoring of engine readings, temperatures and pressures.”
Airmen with the 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard, also received new aircraft, replacing the HH-60G Pave Hawk with six newer HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters.
The Jolly Greens offer better integration tools, advanced avionics and improved survivability, with upgraded radar, laser, missile and fire warnings, said pilots with the wing.
Air Force leadership selected the Tennessee Air National Guard’s McGhee-Tyson Air National Guard Base as the preferred location to host the KC-46A Pegasus Main Operating Base 7 as part of aircraft recapitalization efforts.
The year also saw other changes, including new faces in senior leader roles.
In February, Command Sgt. Maj. James Kendrick officially assumed the role of 14th command sergeant major of the Army National Guard. Kendrick, whose Army career spans more than 35 years, succeeded Command Sgt. Maj. John T. Raines, who took on new duties as the seventh senior enlisted advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau in November 2024.
February also saw Command Chief Master Sgt. Joshua D. Moore assume the duties of the 14th command master chief of the Air National Guard. He succeeded Command Chief Master Sgt. Maurice Williams, who retired.
U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Bernard Aguon was named the ninth command chief warrant officer of the Army Guard and assumed those duties in October. He succeeded Chief Warrant Officer 5 Brian Searcy, who retired. The warrant officer rank structure returned to the Air Force when the service reintroduced those ranks after a 65-year absence. Airmen with the Washington Air National Guard were among the first to see the “new” rank insignia.
“It’s surreal,” said Warrant Officer Andre Roberge, assigned to the Washington Air Guard’s 262nd Cyber Operations Squadron and among the first to graduate from the Air Force’s Warrant Officer Training School. “Everywhere I go, someone is like, ‘Hey, you’re a warrant officer in the Air Force? I’ve never seen that before.’”
Meanwhile, the Maryland Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Squadron began turning in its venerable A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft – affectionately called the Warthog – as its parent unit, the 175th Wing, transitions to a cyber mission.
The Virginia Army National Guard’s 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, or MBCT, began transitioning to its current configuration from its previous infantry brigade combat team structure. The Washington Army National Guard’s 81st Stryker Brigade Combat Team also began transitioning to a mobile brigade combat team.
Part of a larger Army initiative to make units more agile and lethal, the mobile brigade combat team structure includes three infantry battalions with an additional multi-purpose company in each battalion and a multi-functional reconnaissance company in the brigade.
“The battlefield is changing,” said U.S. Army Col. Arthur S. Moore, commander of the 116th MBCT. “The future belongs to Soldiers with superior field discipline who can move, strike, communicate and sustain for extended periods. The MBCT force design gives us that edge.”
Soldiers and Airmen further honed that edge throughout the year by taking part in realistic large-scale training exercises both at home and abroad.
Soldiers with the Florida Army National Guard’s 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team spent nearly a month in “the box” at the National Training Center, or NTC, at Fort Irwin, California. The dusty, desert training location allowed the unit to focus on brigade-wide, force-on-force operations as it prepares to deploy next year.
The unit kicked off the training rotation with a battalion-sized air assault operation, which “overwhelmed the enemy and allowed us to get a foothold,” said U.S. Army Col. Sam Sargeant, brigade commander, adding that the overall training was beneficial and highly challenging.
Simultaneously, Soldiers with the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team played the opposing forces, or OPFOR, role alongside the NTC resident OPFOR element, the active component’s 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.
In September, Soldiers with the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, took part in Exercise Thunderstruck at Camp Gruber Training Center, Oklahoma. During the exercise, Soldiers refined their tactics, techniques and procedures for conducting small-drone offensive operations and countering drone attacks at the company level, working towards achieving American drone dominance.
Washington and Hawaii Army Guard members honed their skills in urban operations during Exercise Tiger Balm in Singapore. The exercise also included higher headquarters command functions.
Also in the Indo-Pacific region, the California Air National Guard’s 163rd Attack Wing took part in Resolute Force Pacific, flying MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles in support of the joint exercise.
In April, elements of the Guam Army National Guard took on cyber threats during the annual Balikatan exercise in the Philippines. Later in the year, Guam Army Guard Soldiers trained with Philippine marines on tactical combat casualty care.
Meanwhile, Soldiers with the Maryland Army National Guard participated in exercise Hedgehog 25 in Estonia, where they joined more than 16,000 Estonian and allied troops to strengthen interoperability in ground combat operations.
Soldiers with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Illinois Army National Guard, took part in training exercises in Poland, while other Guard members trained throughout Europe as part of the Defender Europe series of exercises.
“It’s important working with our NATO allied partners because if you really want to be an effective warfighter, then you need to start developing relationships with your partners,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Russell Meadows, a fire support officer with Detachment 1, 1st Battalion, 107th Field Artillery Regiment, Maryland Army Guard.
Many of those exercises saw Guard members train alongside their partners in the Department of War National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program, which pairs Guard elements with partner nations worldwide for mutual training and subject-matter expert exchanges.
The program, which began in 1993, added 10 new partnerships in 2025, bringing the total number of partnered nations to 116.
“The growth of the State Partnership Program is robust,” Nordhaus said. “As we look to the future, funding the State Partnership Program to match the slow and steady growth is critical. We’re seeing nations continue to want to partner, and states continue to apply for these partnerships.”
This year, Guard members took part in more than 1,000 training and exchange activities as part of the program, at a cost of 1% of the Department of War’s security cooperation budget, SPP officials said, adding that the Guard conducts 30% of all U.S. security cooperation activities with the SPP partner countries.
Throughout the year, Guard members and units continued to serve and deploy overseas.
Elements of the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Louisiana Army National Guard, took on peacekeeping duties in Kosovo as the main body of Regional Command East, Kosovo Force. Units of the Delaware Army National Guard, the Michigan Army National Guard, and units from several other states are deployed to Kosovo also.
Soldiers with the 1120th Engineer Detachment, Oklahoma Army Guard, and the 152nd Engineer Support Company, New York Army National Guard, both deployed to Djibouti as part of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa. They joined Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment, Pennsylvania Army National Guard who deployed there in October 2024.
January saw Soldiers of the 617th Military Police Company, Kentucky Army National Guard, deploy to the Middle East, while Soldiers with the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army Guard, deployed there in May.
Other Guard units serving in the region include the 3622nd Maintenance Company, Pennsylvania Army Guard; 2nd Battalion, 218th Field Artillery Regiment, Oregon Army National Guard; 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry Regiment, Iowa Army National Guard; and the 17th Sustainment Brigade, Nevada Army National Guard, among other Air and Army Guard units.
In June, pilots with the Missouri Air National Guard’s 131st Bomb Wing took part in Operation Midnight Hammer, striking three nuclear‑related facilities inside Iran. The operation – the largest B-2 Spirit stealth bomber strike in U.S. history – also included Air Guard maintainers, weapons technicians, tankers and fighters.
As the year closes, Guard members continue to prepare for the challenges and missions that will come in 2026.
“The National Guard is combat-ready, cost-effective, experienced and serves a dual-role—both state and federal—like no other force,” Nordhaus said, adding the Soldiers and Airmen who make up the Guard are what make that possible.
“You are the heart of the National Guard,” he said. “Our 433,000 Soldiers and Airmen make us a lethal warfighting and response force. Thanks to you, your families and your employers for ensuring our Guard remains Always Ready, Always There.”
The following contributed to this report: U.S. Army Master Sgt. Zach Sheely, Dale Greer, Ayan Sheikh, U.S. Army Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, U.S. Air Force Maj. Cammy Alberts, U.S. Army Sgt. Olivia Gum, Sgt. 1st Class Shane Smith, Senior Airman Serena Smith, U.S. Air Force Maj. Benjamin Hughes, Airman 1st Class Jordaan Kvale, Cotton Puryear, Joseph Siemandel, U.S. Air Force Maj. Eve Derfelt, Mark Scott, U.S. Army Sgt. Rachel Hall, U.S. Army Sgt. Spencer Rhodes, Eric Durr, Thomas Wheeler, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Carla Raisler, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Amber Monio, Sgt. 1st Class Christy Sherman, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Amber Peck, Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Dickson, U.S. Air Force Capt. Jason Carr