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2025 African Senior Enlisted Leader Conference Highlights National Guard Role in Africa

SEA John Raines, the senior enlisted advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, attended the African Senior Enlisted Leader Conference in Rabat, Morocco, on June 12 as the keynote speaker, reaffirming commitment to counter terrorism, strengthening national security abroad, and bolstering alliances and partnerships.

June 20, 2025 - RABAT, Morocco – National Guard senior leaders reaffirmed their commitment to counter terrorism, strengthen national security abroad and bolster alliances and partnerships, particularly with countries throughout Africa,...

Maine Army Guard Engineers Build Communities, Readiness

Spc. Clyde Carr of the 185th Engineer Company dumps his carry of old fill at a construction site at the old Great Northern Paper Company in East Millinocket, Maine, June 9, 2025. The unit is spending their annual training doing site improvements as part of an innovative readiness training project, a collaboration between the Maine National Guard and the town of East Millinocket.

June 20, 2025 - CAMP CHAMBERLAIN, Maine - Engineers with the Maine Army National Guard are hard at work this spring, conducting critical training to keep their skills sharp and simultaneously providing a valuable and direct service to their...

Iowa Army Guard Soldiers Train at Tigerland

A U.S. Soldier assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, pulls security at the Joint Readiness Training Center, Fort Polk, La., June 15, 2025. JRTC is designed to improve unit readiness through force-on-force exercises that prepare Soldiers for missions they may be assigned in real-world operations.

June 20, 2025 - FORT POLK, La. – More than 4,000 Soldiers from the Iowa Army National Guard trained throughout June at Fort Polk, undergoing one of the Army’s most demanding combat training events in preparation for an upcoming overseas...

Idaho Guard Engineers Aid Redwood Park Restoration

Airman assigned to the 124th Civil Engineer Squadron, Idaho Air National Guard, supports facility restoration at Redwood National and State Parks, California, June 17, 2025. IRT delivers joint training opportunities to increase deployment readiness and provides key services to American communities.

June 20, 2025 - CRESCENT CITY, Calif. - Golden light filters through the dense canopy of California’s redwoods, casting long beams across the forest floor. The sound of birdsong and rustling leaves blend with the clatter of hammers and the...

Illinois Army National Guard Trains with Polish Territorial Defence Force

U.S. Army Sgt. Joseline Sosa, a forward observer with 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard, relays information to her Polish counterparts during training in remote observation techniques in Toruń, Poland, June 6, 2025. The Illinois National Guard and Poland are partners in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, which pairs Guard elements with partner nations worldwide for mutual training and subject matter expert exchanges. Servicemembers with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team are spending two weeks alongside their Polish counterparts training on sniper operations, the Javelin anti-tank weapon system, combat medical care, and remote observer techniques.

June 20, 2025 - TORUŃ, Poland – Soldiers with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Illinois Army National Guard, recently spent two weeks in Torún, Poland, training alongside members of the Polish Territorial Defence Force. Since 1993,...

Cyber Tatanka Exercise Hones Cyber Warrior Skills

Military and community partners listen to briefings during distinguished visitors' day at the Cyber Tatanka exercise June 12, 2025, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Cyber Tatanka enhances interoperability between industry leaders; the National Guard; international military partners; federal, state, and local governments; and non-governmental organizations to protect Critical Infrastructure from cyber threats.

June 20, 2025 - LINCOLN, Neb. - Airmen from the 132d Wing, Iowa Air National Guard, recently participated in Exercise Cyber Tatanka, a cybersecurity training event held at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. The exercise, hosted by the...

Oregon Army Guard Helps Design Future Medevac Technology

Oregon Army National Guard Golf Company 189th Aviation Spc. Natalie Foote simulates giving rescue breaths to a medical mannequin during the Special User Evaluation for the Future Long Range Aviation Aircraft (FLRAA) MEDEVAC patient handling system at the Army Aviation Support Facility, June 13, 2025, in Salem, Ore. Army Medical Command is using the Future MEDEVAC Cabin Technical Demonstrator to collect flight medic feedback on the design of the FLRAA MEDEVAC patient handling system. Oregon National Guard is the only reserve unit to participate in the Special User Evaluation.

June 18, 2025 - SALEM, Ore. - The future of Army flight medicine has been driving across the country in a shipping container for the past year.The Future Medical Evacuation (medevac) Cabin Technical Demonstrator (FMC-TD) is a 20-foot mockup...

Alaska Air National Guard Rescues Five Distressed Boaters

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter aviators assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron hoist two 212th Rescue Squadron pararescuemen during underway hoist training in the Prince William Sound near Whittier, Alaska, May 16, 2024. The Airmen of the 212th RQS are trained, equipped, and postured to conduct full-spectrum personnel recovery to include both conventional and unconventional rescue operations. The 212th, along with the 210th and 211th RQSs, make up the 176th Wing Rescue Triad and are among the busiest combat search and rescue units in the world. (Alaska National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)

June 18, 2025 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing members rescued five distressed boaters stuck in sea ice June 16 about 10 miles east of Deering on the Kotzebue Sound.The boaters used a very...

Washington, Malaysia Strengthen Ties at Bersama Warrior 2025

U.S. and Malaysian Armed Forces service members pose for a group photo during the Bersama Warrior 25 opening ceremony at the Joint Warfighting Center, Kuantan, Malaysia, June 17, 2025. Bersama Warrior is an annual, bilateral joint exercise sponsored by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and hosted by the Malaysian Armed Forces. This year marks the 11th iteration of the exercise, and the first time MRF-D is participating, enhancing U.S. and Malaysian defense readiness and improving combined joint interoperability. MRF-D is an annual six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and allies and partners and provide a forward postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific.

June 18, 2025 - KUANTAN, Malaysia - The 11th annual Bersama Warrior exercise began here with an opening ceremony June 17 with keynote addresses from Malaysian Lt. Gen. Dato’ Zahani Bin Hj Zainal Abidin and U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Michael Ake...

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

West Virginia National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Jim Seward visits with Guard members activated on flood response duty in Ohio County, West Virginia, on June 17, 2025. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency for Ohio County after a deadly flash flood. Soldiers of the 115th Engineer Vertical Construction Company, 119th Engineer Company (Sapper), 601st Engineer Support Company and 863rd Military Police Company are assisting local emergency management agencies, first responders and public works personnel in conducting debris and traffic management duties along with public liaison missions.

June 18, 2025 - CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Gov. Patrick Morrissey mobilized Soldiers and Airmen of the West Virginia National Guard after severe flash flooding in West Virginia’s Ohio and Marion counties that began June 14. The mobilization...

Colorado Army Guard’s Drone Warfare Cell Reshapes Warfighting

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Chadley Simms, infantryman, 1st Battalion-157th Infantry (Mountain), Colorado Army National Guard uses handheld counter-unmanned aerial system equipment to neutralize a simulated drone threat during a drone warfare familiarization course at a Fort Carson, Colorado, training range, April 15, 2025. The course, led by the Drone Warfare Cell, part of the Multi-Domain Special Operations Cell at 5th Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), COARNG, paired traditional guard members with special forces to build interoperability and strengthen joint UAS threat response capabilities. (U.S Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Melissa Escobar-Pereira)

June 17, 2025 - WATKINS, Colo. - As the battlespace continues to evolve, so too must the tools and training of those who fight within it. Among the quiet forces reshaping U.S. warfighting readiness is a specialized group called the Drone...

Alaska National Guard Leads Exercise ORCA 2025

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Garret Carstensen, 716th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, helps Sgt. Luis Romero don protective equipment before carrying out an EOD clearance of a simulated weapons of mass destruction chemical lab June 9, 2025, at AJ Dock, Juneau, Alaska, as part of Exercise ORCA 25. The exercise is a full-scale all-hazards chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives joint and interagency training exercise testing and evaluating the operational capability of the whole-of-government emergency management system. (Alaska National Guard photo by Maj. David Bedard)

June 17, 2025 - JUNEAU, Alaksa - Dressed in hazardous material protective suits, two Airmen from the Virginia National Guard slowly crept into a quiet building June 9 at AJ Dock on Juneau’s shore.Virginia National Guard’s 34th Civil Support...

Baltic Viking Enhances Michigan Guard Support for NATO, Latvia

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard, maneuver through the trenches during Exercise Baltic Viking near Alūksne, Latvia, June 8, 2025. Large-scale Combat Operations involve extensive military engagements, coordinated strategies, and significant resource deployment across vast areas. The U.S. military participates in multinational training and exercises across Europe to increase lethality and strengthen partnerships with NATO allies and regional security partners.

June 17, 2025 - CAMP ADAZI, Latvia — U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Michigan Army National Guard recently conducted training with soldiers from NATO Multinational...

Enduring Brotherhood of Pennsylvania, Lithuania Partnership

Lithuanian Command Sgt. Maj. Ruslanas Gulevas, senior enlisted leader of the Grand Duke Algirdas Infantry Battalion, Lithuanian Land Forces, left, and U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jason L. Barclay, senior enlisted advisor for 1st Battalion, 111th Infantry Regiment, 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, tour Fort Indiantown Gap as part of a bilateral engagement through the State Partnership Program, June 15, 2025. The two leaders, who served together during a joint mission in Afghanistan in 2011, reunited during a training event.

June 17, 2025 - FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – More than a decade ago, amid the harsh conditions of Afghanistan, two Soldiers from different countries built a bond through shared sacrifice. The two Soldiers, one from the Pennsylvania National...

National Guard Supports Army’s 250th Birthday Celebration

More than 800 National Guard members were activated in support of the 250th Army Birthday Festival and Parade in Washington, DC, on June 14, 2025. The Guard members, from the District of Columbia, Mississippi, West Virginia and Pennsylvania assisted various agencies with tasks including crowd management and traffic control, and played a crucial role in ensuring the safety of events.

June 16, 2025 - WASHINGTON — More than 800 National Guard members secured the nation’s capital June 14 when the U.S. Army celebrated its 250th birthday. Guard members from the District of Columbia, Mississippi, West Virginia and Pennsylvania...

North Carolina Guard Flies into Army’s 250th Birthday Celebration

Crew members from the 1-130th Attack Battalion, North Carolina Army National Guard, support a static display during the U.S. Army's 250th birthday celebration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Saturday, June 14, 2025. The event honors 250 years of Army history and service to the nation.

June 16, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – The heart of Washington, D.C., became a landing zone June 14 when an AH-64E Apache helicopter touched down on the National Mall. It wasn’t a combat mission, but it was one just as powerful in symbolism. As...

National Guard, State Partnership Collaboration at Cyber Shield 2025

Minnesota National Guardsmen and Norway Officers work together during the annual Cyber Shield training event held at the Virginia National Guard’s State Military Reservation in Va. Beach, 30 May - 13 June, 2025. Cyber Shield is the longest running and largest Department of Defense cyber exercise that is composed of nearly 900 N.G. and Army Reserve Soldiers, Airmen, civilian cyber professionals, and international partners from across the globe.

June 16, 2025 - VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Once a year, the National Guard invites cybersecurity professionals worldwide to attend a cumulative event known as Cyber Shield, where they can compete, learn and challenge their skill sets. Cyber...

Washington Air Guard Supports Seward Military Resort Renovation

Airmen from the 141st Civil Engineer Squadron construct the base for a yurt at Seward Military Resort in Seward, Alaska, June 11, 2025. The resort renovation project is a part of a deployment for training, where CES Airmen are sent to locations outside their home bases to work on construction, renovation or infrastructure projects that can help communities around the world.

June 16, 2025 - SEWARD, Alaska – Airmen of the Washington Air National Guard’s 141st Civil Engineer Squadron are in Seward, Alaska, for a June 1-16 deployment for training to increase Airmen readiness and improve morale welfare recreation...