Guard News - The National Guard

Pennsylvania Guard WMD Civil Support Team Completes Exercise
April 12, 2024 — BLOOMSBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania National Guard’s 3rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team conducted a training exercise April 11 to validate its proficiency. In the exercise scenario,... MORE

Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 3rd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team conducted a training proficiency exercise April 11, 2024, at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The team was evaluated by a U.S. Army North team.

Finnish Air Force Commander Meets Virginia Guard Leaders
April 12, 2024 — HAMPTON, Va. - Maj. Gen. Juha-Pekka Keränen, commander of the Finnish Air Force, met with Virginia National Guard leaders April 8 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis.Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the adjutant... MORE

Finnish Maj. Gen. Juha-Pekka Keränen, commander of the Finnish Air Force, meets with Virginia National Guard leaders April 8, 2024, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia. The VNG enjoys an enduring relationship with Finland that includes military training exchanges between Finnish Defence Forces and VNG Soldiers and Airmen.

South Carolina National Guard Airmen Return From Deployment
April 12, 2024 — MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. - Airmen assigned to the 169th Fighter Wing returned to South Carolina April 10, ending a six-month deployment to U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility... MORE

U.S. Airmen assigned to the 169th Fighter Wing, South Carolina Air National Guard, are greeted by family and wing personnel as they return from a six-month deployment to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility April 10, 2024. Approximately 150 Swamp Fox Airmen deployed in support of 9th Air Force (Air Forces Central) to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, the unit’s first deployment as an expeditionary air base team under the new Air Force Force Generation model.

Army, Air Force Team up to Load Helicopters at Shaw AFB
April 11, 2024 — SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. - U.S. Army and Air Force units worked together to load two U.S. Army AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters onto a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft at Shaw Air Force Base March... MORE

U.S. Airmen assigned to the 20th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., and the 337th Airlift Squadron from Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass., and U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 1-151st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, South Carolina Army National Guard, load an AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopter onto a C-5M Super Galaxy at Shaw AFB, March 22, 2024. The two-day process marked the first time U.S. Army AH-64Es were loaded into a C-5M at Shaw AFB.

New York Air Guard Members Recognized for Lifesaving Actions
April 11, 2024 — SYRACUSE, N.Y. - New York Air National Guard Staff Sgts. Colin Kistner and Miguel Rodriguez Peraza were honored for reviving a heart attack victim.Kistner was awarded the Air and Space Commendation... MORE

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Colin Kistner is presented with the 174th Attack Wing Diamond Sharp Award by Master Sgt. Robert Hood, first sergeant of the 174th Operations Support Squadron, March 8, 2024, at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York.

Texas Air Guard Deploys MQ-9 to Help Fight Wildfires
April 9, 2024 — HOUSTON - The Texas Air National Guard deployed an uncrewed aerial system in March to help the Texas Department of Emergency Management and local fire departments combat fires that engulfed the... MORE

An MQ-9 crew prepares to launch the aircraft at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston March 9, 2024. The 147th deployed an MQ-9 to help fight the Smokehouse Creek Fire in northern Texas, providing real-time video to civilian agencies and local firefighters.

Guard Employs AI to Battle Wildfires, Improve Disaster Response
April 8, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. - Inside the bustling confines of an operations center, National Guard members quickly assemble information from multiple sources, piecing together the “big picture” from ground and air... MORE

Kenneth C. McNeill, a senior executive service member and the chief information officer of the National Guard Bureau, speaks to Project Theia officials and other interested parties during a discussion at the Pentagon Feb., 2, 2023. Named after the Greek goddess of sight, Theia centralizes video data, then applies Artificial Intelligence solutions to increase situational awareness among those responding to natural or man-made disasters.

National Guard-led Space Exercise Helps Build Programs for NATO Partners
April 8, 2024 — RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – About 50 members of the Air National Guard and Romanian and Polish Armed Forces focused on space as a warfighting domain during exercise Vulcan Guard Bolt 6 at NATO’s... MORE

Air Force Staff Sgt. Javin Delgado, an electronic warfare specialist with the Hawaii Air National Guard’s 154th Wing, prepares to calibrate electronic warfare equipment as Senior Airman Oscar Mendoza, a space systems operator with the 148th Space Operations Squadron, looks on during Vulcan Guard Bolt 6, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, March 27, 2024. Though not part of the mission planning portion of the space-focused exercise, Delgado and Mendoza showcased EW assets to Vulcan Guard participants and distinguished visitors.

Operation Guide Wire Broadens 178th Airmen’s Skills
April 8, 2024 — SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - Airmen from the 178th Mission Support Group worked with 123d Air Control Squadron members and Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 137th Aviation Regiment, during Operation Guide Wire, an... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 178th Mission Support Group and 123d Air Control Squadron board a UH-60 Black Hawk from 1st Battalion, 137th Aviation Regiment, during Operation Guide Wire on Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base, Ohio, April 4, 2024. The UH-60 transported Airmen to a landing zone at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where a tactical operations center was set up.

New Jersey, Delaware, Idaho Guard Conduct Interagency Training
April 5, 2024 — TRENTON, N.J. - The New Jersey, Delaware and Idaho National Guard participated in interagency chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives training with the FBI and state and... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Robert Wittig, left, closes the helmet on Senior Airman Russell J. Bongiovanni’s EOD-10E bomb suit. The explosive ordnance disposal technicians with the 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, were participating in the Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High Yield Explosives Characterization, Exploitation, and Mitigation Course at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey, March 27, 2024.

Alaska Air Guard Rescue Airmen Help 3 Over Easter Weekend
April 5, 2024 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Alaska Air National Guard rescue personnel of the 176th Wing medically evacuated a stroke victim from Bethel March 30 before rescuing two injured snowmachine... MORE

A 211th Rescue Squadron HC-130J Combat King II refuels a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk during training at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 23, 2020. During a March 30, 2024, medical evacuation mission from JBER to near Ruby about 175 miles west of Fairbanks on the Yukon River, HC-130 refueling was necessary to extend the range of the HH-60.

New York Guard Civil Support Team Trains Aboard Ship
April 4, 2024 — ALBANY, N.Y. - Twenty-one Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the New York National Guard’s 2nd Civil Support Team tested their ability to detect weapons of mass destruction aboard a World War II... MORE

Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the 2nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team complete a communication check before executing an exercise aboard the USS Slater museum ship in Albany, New York, March 28, 2024. The CST Soldiers and Airmen worked with the New York State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to identify radiological sources aboard the ship during the joint training exercise.

Kentucky Air Guard Assists with Storm Recovery
April 3, 2024 — PROSPECT, Ky. - Fourteen members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Civil Engineer Squadron cleared roadways after tornados touched down across the region.The Airmen arrived with four trucks... MORE

Fourteen members of the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Civil Engineer Squadron cleared roadways in Prospect, Ky., April 3, 2024, after multiple tornados touched down in the region. The Airmen removed multiple fallen trees that blocked access to about 100 homes.

National Guard Continues Work to Eradicate Sexual Assault, Harassment
April 3, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. — The National Guard continues to take action to prevent sexual assault and harassment within its ranks, provide victim care and support, and foster a culture to eradicate sexual... MORE

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Giselle Wilz, director of staff with the National Guard Bureau, signs the 2024 National Guard Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month proclamation as Chief Master Sgt. Kelly Hoffses, the senior enlisted advisor to the director of staff, looks on during a ceremony at the Herbert R. Temple Army National Guard Readiness Center, Arlington Hall Station, in Arlington, Virginia, April 1, 2024.

Alaska Air National Guard Medevacs Critically ill Patient
April 2, 2024 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Two Alaska Air National Guard Airmen jumped from a 176th Wing combat search and rescue aircraft into the village of Kotlik March 22 to expedite medical care... MORE

Framed by the tail of a 211th Rescue Squadron HC-130J Combat King II, a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk, carrying 212th Rescue Squadron Guardian Angel personnel recovery Airmen, sorties from Unalakleet, Alaska, March 21, 2024. The HH-60 transloaded Guardian Angels to the HC-130 before continuing to Kotlik for a medical evacuation mission.
Framed by the tail of a 211th Rescue Squadron HC-130J Combat King II, a 210th Rescue Squadron HH-60G Pave Hawk, carrying 212th Rescue Squadron Guardian Angel personnel recovery Airmen, sorties from Unalakleet, Alaska, March 21, 2024. The HH-60 transloaded Guardian Angels to the HC-130 before continuing to Kotlik for a medical evacuation mission.

Puerto Rico Guard Partners with Sister Services in Joint Exercise
March 29, 2024 — CEIBA, Puerto Rico - The 156th Tactical Advisory Squadron, Puerto Rico Air National Guard, participated in a joint training field exercise March 15.The exercise at Roosevelt Roads included service... MORE

U.S. Airmen assigned to the 156th Tactical Advisory Squadron, Puerto Rico Air National Guard, and a U.S. Soldier assigned to the 1st Mission Support Command, Army Reserve, assume defensive positions during a joint training noncommissioned officer leadership field exercise at Roosevelt Roads, Ceiba, Puerto Rico, March 15, 2024. The exercise included service members with the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve.

Army Guard Recognizes Top Recruiting, Retention Soldiers
March 28, 2024 — HOUSTON – More than 40 Soldiers in pristine World War II-style Army green dress uniforms lined the wall of a hotel ballroom as Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard, recognized... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert Williams, right, Washington Army National Guard, receives the Recruiting and Retention Noncommissioned Officer of the Year award from Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard, at the Director’s Strength Maintenance Awards Conference in Houston March 14, 2024. The conference enabled recruiting and retention Soldiers to network, exchange best practices, and honor the Army National Guard’s best recruiters.

The Hometown Heroes of Tower 22
March 27, 2024 — UNDISCLOSED LOCATION - The Guardsmen hailed from hometowns across America, but when they found themselves deployed to a remote desert outpost in the no man’s land where the borders of Jordan, Iraq and... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, and SEA Tony Whitehead, senior enlisted advisor to the CNGB, visit National Guardsmen deployed within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility March 15, 2024.

National Guard Leaders Visit Troops Deployed in Middle East
March 27, 2024 — KUWAIT - The National Guard’s most senior officer and enlisted leader visited Guardsmen deployed across the Middle East in support of Operations Inherent Resolve and Spartan Shield March... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, right, chief, National Guard Bureau, and SEA Tony Whitehead, senior enlisted advisor to the CNGB, visit National Guardsmen deployed in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility March 15, 2024.

Alaska Guard Black Hawk Aviators Train at Marine Corps Course
March 26, 2024 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Aviators from the Alaska Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence are training at the Marine Corps Weapons Weapons and Tactics... MORE

UH-60L and CH-53 helicopters flying at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona.

Idaho Guard Conducts Two Rescues in Nine Days

Connecticut Guard Soldier Aids Rollover Crash Victim in Dramatic Highway Rescue

Arkansas Air Guard Participates in REFORPAC 25 Exercise

Fox EMBER Sharpens Airmen’s Skills in Joint Environment

Puerto Rico Air Guard Conducts Deployment for Training at Aviano