Guard News - The National Guard

West Virginia's 130th Airlift Wing to convert to C-130J
May 20, 2021 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The 130th Airlift Wing at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base will convert to the C-130J-30 Super Hercules, Acting Air Force Secretary John P. Roth announced May 19.The 130th... MORE

Nineteen C-130J aircraft take part in an elephant walk before takeoff during an exercise March 15, 2018, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. Numerous C-130J units from around the Air Force participated in a training event to enhance operational effectiveness and joint interoperability.

Connecticut Guard cyber team honored for outstanding service
May 19, 2021 — HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut National Guard Joint Cyber Response Team was presented the National Association of Secretaries of State Medallion Award May 12 for fortifying cybersecurity ahead of... MORE

Maj. Gen. Francis Evon, adjutant general for the Connecticut National Guard, front left, and leaders of the Guard's Joint Cyber Response Team with Connecticut Secretary of State Denise Merrill and Deputy Secretary of State Scott Bates after the team received the National Association of Secretaries of State Medallion Award May 12, 2021, for fortifying cybersecurity ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

Alaska National Guardsmen compete in marksmanship
May 19, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – The Alaska National Guard hosted its annual marksmanship competition sponsored by Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, the adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard,... MORE

Alaska National Guard Soldiers and Airmen compete in a series of marksmanship events at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson May 15, 2021, as part of the 2021 Alaska National Guard Adjutant General Match. The marksmanship competition included timed pistol and rifle events.

NY Army Guard medics ruck across city for weekend training
May 18, 2021 — NEW YORK – New Yorkers are used to seeing unusual things, but 36 Soldiers carrying 45-pound MOLLE packs got a second look from even the most jaded residents as medics assigned to the 1st Battalion,... MORE

With the Chrysler building dominating the skyline, New York Army National Guard medics assigned to the Headquarters Company of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment, conduct a six-mile ruck march through Manhattan early May 16, 2021. Thirty-six medics took part in the march to prepare for a required annual 12-mile march.

New Jersey National Guard Airmen honored for saving a life
May 18, 2021 — ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – New Jersey Air National Guard Senior Airman Solomon Stirling and Staff Sgts. Nestor Rivas and Lavone Graham were honored May 17 for saving a man's life.For more than a year, New... MORE

U.S. Army Col. Robert Hughes, commander of Task Force Iron Guard, congratulates Staff Sgt. Nestor Rivas, Staff Sgt. Lavone Graham, and Senior Airman Solomon Stirling, all with the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 108th Security Forces Squadron, who were honored in Atlantic City May 17, 2021, for helping prevent a man from killing himself in April.

Georgia Guard completes port operations for African Lion 21
May 18, 2021 — JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Georgia Army National Guard completed port operations May 14 in Jacksonville, Florida, to deploy vehicles and equipment to Morocco for use in exercise African Lion 21.“The... MORE

A M109A6 Paladin howitzer assigned to Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 214th Field Artillery Regiment, 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Georgia Army National Guard, is lifted onto a cargo ship May 10, 2021, in Jacksonville, Florida. The Georgia Army National Guard’s participation in exercise African Lion 21 allowed the organization to train on railhead and port operations.

Nevada National Guard trio honored for aiding crash victim
May 17, 2021 — LAS VEGAS – Three Nevada Guard Soldiers from 1st Squadron 221 Cavalry were recognized for helping a Virginia woman injured in a car crash while supporting the presidential inauguration in the nation's... MORE

Capt. Tyler Wistisen, left, 1st Lt. Michael Flury and Capt. Tana Gurule were honored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars with the Life Saving Award at the Clark County Armory in Las Vegas May 14, 2021. While in the nation's capital in January supporting the presidential inauguration, the Soldiers assisted a Virginia woman injured in a car crash.

Arizona National Guard, Reserves join forces for residents
May 17, 2021 — SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY, Ariz. – COVID-19 took the world by storm, forcing everyone to prepare for the worst kind of emergency, the unknown. Countries were forced to put their... MORE

Reserve Senior Airman Danielle Ippolito, 944th Medical Squadron nurse, and Army Guard Spc. Karston Gardner, combat medic, 856th Military Police Company, prepare to vaccinate Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community residents March 26, 2021. Service members are augmenting COVID-19 vaccination sites for communities with low staffing and high demand.

National Guard, partners to conduct ORCA 21 CBRNE exercise
May 14, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Hundreds of National Guard Civil Support Team units from 11 states will participate in Exercise ORCA 2021 in Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Valley and Seward... MORE

Members of the Michigan National Guard’s 51st Civil Support Team run through decontamination procedures during Northern Exposure 21, March 16, 2021, at Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Northern Exposure 21 was integrated with another exercise known as Rising Waters 2021. This year's scenario was catastrophic flooding leading to chemical contamination, which was followed by a possible WMD situation.

Army Guard cyber event entices future Soldiers
May 13, 2021 — BEEBE, Ark. - Fatigued but determined, a squad of new Soldiers was within a football field of the final objective — a radio tower they needed to take out.The newbies had already cleared buildings of... MORE

Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gregory Backus, an information protection technician with the Army National Guard’s Professional Education Center, initiates a cyberattack on the computer networks of students participating in Interactive War Games, a cyber awareness event at Arkansas State University-Beebe, April 28, 2021. Backus was showing students what a cyberattack looked like as they were participating in simulated battlefield drills from laptop computers.

Oklahoma Army Guard trains response to aviation accident
May 13, 2021 — TULSA, Okla. – Fire trucks and ambulances swarmed the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s Aviation Support Facility 2 in a training exercise May 12. The first responders from multiple Tulsa area agencies... MORE

Firefighters and other first responders extract a simulated casualty played by an Oklahoma Army National Guard Citizen-Soldier from a mock helicopter crash during training at the Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 12, 2021. The training prepares Army aviation units to respond to accidents ranging from slip and falls to mass casualty events.

Air Guard unit provides essential satellite communications
May 12, 2021 — VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A small Air National Guard squadron perched on a scrub oak-covered hilltop on the central coast of California makes a big contribution to the Combined Force Space... MORE

Tech. Sgt. Jaime Gomez, undergoing mission qualification training to operate the Advanced Extreme High Frequency Satellite Mission Control Subsystem, wears his unit patch on his right sleeve at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., April 16, 2021. His unit, the 148th Space Operations Squadron, operates the U.S. Space Force's protected Military Satellite Communications system, providing warfighters global, secure, survivable, strategic and tactical communication.

Tennessee National Guard aircrew rescues stranded hiker
May 12, 2021 — KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - A Tennessee Army National Guard medical flight crew rescued a hiker who was having difficulty breathing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park May 9.Shortly before 7 a.m., the... MORE

Tennessee National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Banta begins hoist operations, descending from a Black Hawk helicopter to a stroke victim who was hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park April 15, 2021. The patient was flown to a hospital in Knoxville.

41st Civil Support Team conducts annual WMD training
May 11, 2021 — BARDSTOWN, Ky. – The Kentucky National Guard's 41st Civil Support Team (CST) tested its readiness to respond to threats from weapons of mass destruction March 15-18.This certification is conducted... MORE

Kentucky National Guard Soldiers with the 41st Civil Support Team scan each other for radioactive readings or potential biohazards exposure before returning to the command team March 15, 2021, during an evaluation exercise.

NYNG, Forest Rangers train for helicopter firefighting
May 11, 2021 — COLONIE, N.Y. – New York and Connecticut Army National Guard UH-60 aircrews and forest rangers with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation honed their helicopter wildfire-fighting... MORE

New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jake Pratt, a UH-60 Black Hawk crew chief assigned to the 2rd Battalion, 142nd Aviation, and a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation forest ranger prepare to deploy water during helicopter firefighting training over the Mohawk River in Colonie, New York, May 6, 2021. Aircrews based at the Albany International Airport in Latham, New York, trained with aviators from the Connecticut Army National Guard and forest rangers in preparation for the summer wildfire season.

Alaska Army National Guard rescues four stranded boaters
May 11, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - A UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter aircrew with the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, rescued four people and a dog May 10... MORE

Sgt. Rosalind Stromberg, a crew chief from 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, Alaska Army National Guard, looks over the Kuskokwim River from the door of a UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter during a rescue mission May 10, 2021. The helicopter aircrew rescued four people and their dog from their boat on the river after they became stuck between Bethel and Kwethluk because of ice.

Alaska Army National Guard rescues two near Knik Glacier
May 11, 2021 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Aircrew from the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, rescued a father and his daughter near Knik Glacier after their off-road... MORE

Task Force Phoenix UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from G Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), land at North Fort Hood, Texas, April 17, 2021, during a medevac training mission that was part of a culminating training exercise.

Partnerships forged during aerial firefighting training
May 7, 2021 — SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – In the dry heat of the high desert, the California and Nevada Air National Guard, U.S. Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and multiple other firefighting agencies across the United... MORE

C130-E Hercules aircraft from the 152nd Airlift Wing during MAFFS (Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System) training at the San Bernardino Air Tanker Base, California. May 5, 2021.

Airmen and Soldiers learn to communicate in joint training
May 7, 2021 — BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mass. – Bringing Airmen and Soldiers together through joint training is essential to increasing the interoperability of the Air and Army National Guard.Strong... MORE

Senior Airman Ivan Villavicencio, of the 104th Security Forces Squadron, signals to responders as a medical helicopter approaches during a joint training exercise between the Massachusetts Air and Army National Guard on March 12, 2021, at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass.

63rd Civil Support Team trains with City of Altus
May 7, 2021 — Members of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 63rd Civil Support Team partnered with first responders and emergency personnel from the City of Altus for a 72-hour field exercise, May 4-6... MORE

Members of the 63rd Civil Support Team, Oklahoma National Guard, partner with first responders as part of a 72-hour field exercise in Altus, Oklahoma, May 4-6, 2021.

This multi-day training event is one of several exercise scheduled around the state this year designed to test Guard members, emergency management personnel and first responders ability to quickly work to together during natural and man-made disasters. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Lt. Col. Geoff Legler)

Oregon Army Guard Helps Design Future Medevac Technology

Alaska Air National Guard Rescues Five Distressed Boaters

W.Va. Guard Deploys Troops in Aftermath of Deadly Flooding

Colorado Army Guard’s Drone Warfare Cell Reshapes Warfighting

Alaska National Guard Leads Exercise ORCA 2025