Guard News - The National Guard

NY Army Guard adapts Best Warrior Competition to COVID-19
July 30, 2020 — CAMP SMITH TRAINING SITE, N.Y. – When they weren't running, they wore masks and temperatures were being taken constantly, and anything they touched was cleaned and disinfected.But nine New York Army... MORE

New York Army National Guard Cpl. Troy Perez, an infantryman assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, and the winner of the enlisted category in the state Best Warrior competition, performs the sprint, drag and carry portion of the Army Combat Fitness Test at Camp Smith Training Site, N.Y., July 25, 2020.

Texas Air National Guard feeding families in need
July 29, 2020 — ARLINGTON, Texas – In the heat of a Texas summer morning, Tech. Sgt. Brenna Jackson directs vehicles through the exit of the food distribution operations area, noting each driver's face as they pass... MORE

Texas Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Brenna Jackson directs exiting traffic during a food distribution event on July 8, 2020, in Arlington, Texas.

109th Airlift Wing team builds ski landing area in Arctic
July 29, 2020 — SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – "Creatio Ex Nihilo" or "Something from Nothing" is the motto of the 109th Airlift Wing's expeditionary ski-way team of Airmen from various units throughout the wing who are blazing... MORE

Airmen with the 109th Airlift Wing Skiway construction team employ barren land survival techniques as they erect the first shelter at Camp Rockwell during Air National Guard Exercise Arctic Eagle.

226th engineers use annual training as opportunity to build
July 29, 2020 — TOPEKA, Kan. – Soldiers with 2nd Platoon, Detachment 1, 226th Engineer Company out of Pittsburg used their skills during annual training to complete several construction projects at Forbes Field Air... MORE

Soldiers with 2nd Platoon, Detachment 1, 226th Engineer Company out of Pittsburg, Kansas, used their skills during annual training to complete several construction projects at Forbes Field Air Force Base in Topeka for two weeks in July.

NY Guard logistics Soldiers hone airdrop resupply skills
July 29, 2020 — FORT DRUM, N.Y. — The 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team needs food, fuel and ammunition to fight, which generally flow into the 427th Brigade Support Battalion, the logistics backbone of the brigade... MORE

A C-130J Hercules transport aircraft piloted by Airmen from the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing airdrops pallets of supplies during a container delivery system training exercise, July 23, 2020.

Northern Strike exercise 'on target' for Michigan Army Guard artillery unit
July 28, 2020 — CAMP GRAYLING, Mich. – The pewter-colored clouds hung low in the sky, hinting at the possibility of rain. A quick breeze fluttered past, dancing in the trees that surrounded the open field where... MORE

Soldiers with the Michigan Army National Guard's B Battery, 1st Battalion, 119th Field Artillery Regiment execute a direct fire mission during exercise Northern Strike at Camp Grayling, Michigan, July 26, 2020.

W.Va. Future Leaders Program prepares for new academic year
July 28, 2020 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Instructors and staff members of the West Virginia National Guard's Future Leaders Program (LFP) for high school students recently met in Winfield, West Virginia, to plan and... MORE

Instructors and staff members of the West Virginia National Guard’s Future Leaders Program for high school students pose for a photo following a training session held July 10, 2020 in Winfield, W.Va. The FLP staff recently met to plan and prepare for the upcoming academic school year.

Connecticut Guard assembles 107,000 test kits in five days
July 28, 2020 — HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut National Guard members have spearheaded efforts to expand the state’s COVID-19 testing stockpile, assembling 107,000 test kits in five days last week. Teams comprised... MORE

Soldiers from the 1-102nd Infantry Regiment assemble COVID-19 test kits at the Governor William A. O’Neill Hartford State Armory, Hartford, Connecticut, July 27, 2020.

Alaska Air Guard rescues distressed hiker at Mount Williwaw
July 28, 2020 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — The Alaska Air National Guard rescued a distressed hiker July 26 at Mount Williwaw east of Anchorage. Alaska National Guard Master Sgt. Andre Marron, Alaska... MORE

An Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter and aircrew assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron, with pararescuemen aboard from the 212th Rescue Squadron saved a distressed hiker on July 26, 2020 at Mount Williwaw east of Anchorage.

National Guard’s ultimate Joint Fires training opportunity
July 27, 2020 — GRAYLING, Mich. – Summer in Northern Michigan means boating, fishing – and increasingly, premier Joint Fires readiness training. Since 2012, Northern Strike, the National Guard Bureau’s largest joint,... MORE

A U.S. Army Soldier assigned to Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 119th Field Artillery Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, uses a collimator sight to ensure a M777 155mm howitzer is on target before firing the gun in a direct fire training exercise during Northern Strike 20, Camp Grayling, Michigan, July 25, 2020.

New Jersey National Guard runs courses simultaneously
July 24, 2020 — JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. – With heat rippling through the pine barrens on the Fort Dix range, the low hum of summer cicadas droned in unison with the buzzing of small unmanned RQ-11B... MORE

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Dana Eustace, a Soldier attending the 254th Regional Training Institute’s RQ-11B Raven course, assembles aircraft parts during their capstone field training exercise on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., July 22, 2020.

NY Airmen mounting critical resupply mission in Greenland
July 24, 2020 — STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. – The 109th Airlift Wing will launch a three-week mission to carry critical supplies to Summit Station, the only year-round science station that operates on the... MORE

An LC-130 assigned to the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing, based at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, N.Y. offloads cargo in Greenland on April 26, 2019.

Northern Strike exercise shifts to real-world response
July 24, 2020 — ALPENA, Mich. – On the afternoon of July 21, a historic icon of Alpena, Michigan, went up in flames.The John A. Lau Saloon and Restaurant, a local institution since the late 1800s, was once a favorite... MORE

Firefighters from the Michigan Air National Guard’s Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center and the New York Air National Guard’s 106th Rescue Wing respond to a request for mutual-aid support at a massive structure fire in downtown Alpena, Michigan, July 21, 2020.

Michigan Guard Band supports communities during COVID-19
July 23, 2020 — BELMONT, Mich. – The 126th Army Band of the Michigan National Guard, commonly called the "Governor's Own," has been entertaining the residents, service members, and veterans of Michigan for decades... MORE

Michigan Soldiers from the 126th Army Band, Michigan Army National Guard assist Feeding American West Michigan Food Bank by distributing food for families in need during a recent mobile food distribution event as part of the Michigan National Guard's coronavirus 19 disease (COVID-19) response.

NY National Guard combat engineers practice explosive skills
July 23, 2020 — FORT DRUM, New York – Fresh from duty assisting New York in tackling COVID-19, New York Army National Guard combat engineers hit the ranges to practice clearing the battlefield of any other obstacles... MORE

New York Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to Bravo Company, 152 Brigade Engineer Battalion conduct demolition training at Fort Drum, NY, Jul. 15.

164th Security Forces Squadron trains at Northern Strike 20
July 22, 2020 — ROGERS CITY, Mich. – Northern Strike’s purpose is to help prepare warfighters from across all service branches by perfecting joint fire proficiency in a premier all-domain training environment. To... MORE

Airman 1st Class Franklin Simon, a 164th Security Forces Squadron defender, Memphis Tennessee Air National Guard, drives an all-terrain vehicle while acting as the opposition forces in a joint exercise with the Army infantry, Air Force tactical air control party, and joint terminal air controllers during Northern Strike 20 at Rogers City, Mich., July 21, 2020.

189th Airlift Wing installs first UV light system
July 22, 2020 — LITTLE ROCK AFB, Ark - Over the last several months, the world changed dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. American families were crushed with the responsibility of the new "normal" wearing... MORE

PJ Piper, FAR UV Technologies prepares for an ultraviolet installment in one of many facilities across the 189th Airlift Wing, July 16, 2020, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The wing is the first in the Department of Defense to utilize this technology in the work environment.

Oregon National Guard members train to battle wildland fires
July 22, 2020 — SALEM, Ore. - Even during a pandemic and protests, the potential for wildfires does not diminish. Always at the ready, approximately 400 Oregon National Guard (ORNG) Citizen-Soldiers and-Airmen... MORE

Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen from the Oregon National Guard stamp out flames during a wildland firefighter training at the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training in Salem, Ore. July 13-17.

Washington National Guard members support Team Med Surge
July 22, 2020 — LACY, Wash. – With the number of positive COVID-19 cases still rising, hospitals – especially those in smaller, rural areas – run the risk of running out of bed space, reducing a community’s ability... MORE

View of the Team Med Surge Isolation facility that can be set up in rural and smaller towns if medical facilities are overrun with cases.

Alaska Air National Guard rescues four distressed hikers
July 22, 2020 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — The Alaska Air National Guard rescued four distressed hikers from Crow Pass Trail, which runs between Girdwood and the Eagle River Nature Center, July 20. The... MORE

Louisiana Guard, Active Component Airmen Complete Air-to-Air Integration Training

Air National Guard Leaders Host 2025 Wing Leader Fly-In

Colorado Army National Guard Conducts Aviation Training for Wildfire Season

Lt. Gen. Jon Stubbs Highlights Virginia National Guard Excellence at Military Ball

Oregon Air Guard Participates in Sentry Aloha Exercise