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Maine Guard Airmen Exercise Rapid-Response Communications Skills
U.S. Airmen assigned to the 265th Combat Communications Squadron collaborate to establish communications via the Ground Antenna Transmit & Recieve (GATR) inflatable antenna April 29th, 2025 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The 265th is taking part of their Guard Tour 2025 exericse, a forward-deployment exercise where two different units establish communications with one another between Maine and Puerto Rico.
May 8, 2025 - GREAT POND, Maine – The Maine Air National Guard’s 265th Combat Communications Squadron, based out of South Portland, Maine, recently completed a one-week exercise in which they sharpened their rapid-response communication...

Louisiana Guard Hosts International Interrogation Competition to Build Readiness
Competitors in the fourth annual Army interrogation competition, “Tranquil Storm,” conduct tactical interrogations in the Detainee Holding Area at Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville, April 30.
May 8, 2025 - PINEVILLE, La. – Twenty-two Human Intelligence Collector teams from U.S. and allied forces recently competed in the fourth annual Army interrogation competition, Tranquil Storm.The multi-component, multi-echelon event was...

Air Reserve Component Test Center Marks Milestone With F-35 Test Force at Eglin AFB
From left: U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Richard Coffey, assistant adjutant general – Air, Florida National Guard, Brig. Gen. Mark A. Massaro, commander, 96th Test Wing, Air Force Materiel Command, Maj. Gen. Duke Pirak, deputy director, Air National Guard (ANG), Maj. Gen. Regina A. Sabric, commander, 10th Air Force, and Col. Daniel J. Wittmer, commander, ANG Air Force Reserve Command Test Center, cut a ribbon during a ceremony at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, May 1, 2025. The ceremony established the first-ever F-35 Combined Test Force at Eglin, ensuring the Air Reserve Component as a key player in fifth-generation fighter aircraft testing.  (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Richard Mekkri)
May 8, 2025 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center established its first-ever F-35 Combined Test Force at Eglin Air Force Base on May 1.  This major milestone establishes the Air Reserve...

Texas Guard Members Bolster Border Patrol Efforts along Rio Grande
A U.S. Soldier with the Texas Army National Guard monitors activity along the Rio Grande during a patrol near Roma, Texas, April 25, 2025. Texas Army Guard members are part of Operation Lone Star, working alongside U.S. Border Patrol agents to deter illegal crossings and disrupt transnational criminal activity along the Texas-Mexico border.
May 7, 2025 - ROMA, Texas – A steady breeze rolled across a closed bridge crossing the Rio Grande, offering relief from the late April heat. Texas Army National Guard Soldiers stood alongside U.S. Border Patrol agents, scanning the...

Washington Army Guard Soldiers Participate in Norwegian Foot March
Soldiers from 1st Squadron, 303rd Cavalry Regiment pose with Col. Josh Barrow, commander, 96th Troop Command, following the 5th annual Central Washington University Army Reserve Officer Training Corp. Norwegian Foot March in Ellensburg, Wash., May 2, 2025.
May 7, 2025 - ELLENSBURG, Wash. - It’s 8 p.m. at the John Wayne Trailhead near the Ellensburg Rodeo Grounds. After a three-hour drive through traffic, Lt. Col. Rob Goertzen, commander of the 341st Military Intelligence Battalion, arrives...

Florida National Guard Conducts Operation Mustang
Soldiers with the Florida National Guard's 256th Medical Company Area Support stage equipment in preparation for Operation Mustang in Gainesville, Fla., May 1, 2025. This exercise is designed to test the 256th MCAS’s readiness to provide critical medical support during large-scale combat operations.
May 7, 2025 - GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In preparation for its National Training Center (NTC) rotation in July, Soldiers assigned to the Florida National Guard’s 256th Medical Company Area Support (MCAS) recently conducted a comprehensive field...

Oregon National Guard Soldiers Work to Bring Home Missing Vietnam War Service Member
Oregon Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Nate Brushe, a recovery noncommissioned officer, wet-screens material during a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) recovery mission in Vietnam, April 11, 2025. The DPAA mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for our missing personnel to their families and the nation. This is the first time the Oregon National Guard has supplemented a DPAA mission.
May 7, 2025 - QUẢNG TRỊ, Vietnam - “I will never leave a fallen comrade.” That final line of the U.S. Army’s Warrior Ethos is a promise that all service members will find their way back to American soil.Oregon National Guard Sgts. 1st...

In Maine, Raines Highlights National Guard Readiness, Family Support and Global Reach
Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the Chief, National Guard Bureau engages with Army and Air National Guardsmen across Maine, April 30–May 5, 2025, visiting units from Bangor to South Portland to reinforce mission readiness, celebrate community partnerships, and highlight the critical role of small states in the National Guard’s global mission.
May 7, 2025 - BANGOR, Maine — More than 2,600 Army and Air National Guardsmen stand ready to answer the call across Maine’s rugged 3,500-mile coastline and vast terrain—trained, equipped and prepared to defend the homeland and support...

Georgia's 165th Airlift Wing Hosts Response Exercise TOXIC PEACH 2025
A U.S. Air Force aircrew flight equipment specialist participates in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) decontamination training during exercise Toxic Peach at the 165th Airlift Wing, Savannah Air National Guard Base, Georgia, April 29, 2025. Hosted by the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Airlift Wing, exercise Toxic Peach 2025 readied approximately 150 joint service military members to complete large-scale CBRN decontamination of aircrews in a simulated austere environment.
May 6, 2025 - SAVANNAH, Ga. — About 150 joint service military members, including Airmen and Soldiers from more than 36 different units and seven major commands, recently conducted exercise Toxic Peach.  The April 28–May 2 exercise at the...

Oregon National Guard Soldiers Welcome Veterans Home from Honor Flight
A Vietnam veteran renders a salute from his wheelchair as he passes through the honor corridor at the Medford Airport, Medford, Ore., May 4, 2025. Oregon Army National Guard soldiers and Patriot Guard Riders formed the corridor to welcome veterans returning from an Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C., where they visited military memorials honoring their service.
May 6, 2025 - MEDFORD, Ore. – Soldiers from the Oregon Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment formed up at the Medford Airport on May 4 to welcome home veterans returning from an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. The...

Puerto Rico Air Guard Tests Flexible Communications in Evaluation
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Rafaela Laguillo, a radio transmissions journeyman with the 156th Combat Communications Squadron, Puerto Rico Air National Guard, sets-up a GATOR ball antenna during a Full Operating Capability (FOC) evaluation at Punta Salinas Air National Guard Station, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, April 24, 2025. A team of approximately 25 Airmen assigned to the 156th CBCS was evaluated on their level of proficiency in providing NIPR, SIPR, and VOIP services in an expeditionary setting as part of the FOC certification process.
May 6, 2025 - PUNTA SALINAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Puerto Rico — U.S. Airmen assigned to the Puerto Rico Air National Guard’s 156th Combat Communications Squadron deployed two Flexible Communication Packages as part of their Full...

Ohio Airman Helps to Set the Theater in Deployment for Training
U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Braylon McCoy,  pavements and heavy equipment operator assigned to the 200th Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer (RED HORSE) Squadron Detachment, Mansfield, Ohio, operates heavy equipment used in brush removal at Northwest Field, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, April 4, 2025. The 200th RED HORSE Squadron is on a deployment for training working for the 513th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron as part of the 356 Expeditionary Civil Engineering Group in Pacific Air Force’s efforts to set the theaters.
May 5, 2025 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam – The 200th Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer (RED HORSE) Squadron based out of Camp Perry and its detachment in Mansfield, Ohio, is on a deployment for...

Pennsylvania Guard Medical Unit Gains Vital Experience During Field Exercise
U.S. Army Spc. Caitlyn Morrison, left, and Spc. Maria Diaz, combat medics with the 108th Medical Company Area Support, 213th Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania National Guard practice medical skills during an exercise at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, May 3, 2025. The 108th MCAS spent time in the field to remain capable and adaptable while improving their medical and basic Soldier skills.
May 5, 2025 - FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers with the 108th Medical Company Area Support, 213th Regional Support Group, trained on setting up an aid station during a May 2-3 field exercise.The 108th MCAS...

New Jersey, New York Officer Candidates Train with Albanian, Kosovar Cadets
New Jersey and New York Officer Candidates conduct Situational Tactical Exercise lanes with cadets from Albania and Kosovo. The New Jersey National Guard and Albanian have been partners for over 20 years in the U.S. Department of Defense State Partnership Program.
May 5, 2025 - RRETH-GRETH, Albania – Officer candidates from the New Jersey and New York Army National Guard traveled to Albania for the fifth consecutive year to conduct a field training exercise with cadets from the Albanian Military...

California Air National Guard Hosts Reaper Smoke 2025
U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Grant Geschwentner, 17th Attack Squadron from Creech Air Force Base, Nev., participates in Reaper Smoke, an MQ-9 Reaper enterprise-wide competition that highlights the skills and advancements within the community, March Air Reserve Base, Calif., April 23, 2025. Each team is judged on crew utilization, time on target, tactics and key target identification during a 30-minute tactical scenario to mimic maritime surface warfare.
May 5, 2025 - MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. — More than 200 active component, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard MQ-9 Reaper Airmen participated in Exercise Reaper Smoke 2025 last week in Southern California. The California National...

Virginia Guard Soldiers, Tajikistan Conduct Battle Exchange Training
Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers conduct a mountain warfare exchange with members of the Tajik military April 21 - 25, 2025, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The engagement was conducted in support of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Tajikistan have been formal partners since 2003. The exchange focused on developing and refining mountain warfare fundamentals, while fostering collaboration between U.S. and Tajik forces. A total of 25 Tajik participants, representing four different organizations of the nation’s defense forces, took part in the training. Ranks ranged from junior officers to senior lieutenant colonels.
May 5, 2025 - DUSHANBE, Tajikistan  –  Four Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers recently conducted a close-quarters battle exchange training with members of the Tajik military. The engagement was conducted April 7-11 through the...

Michigan-Sierra Leone Partnership Moves Ahead with Multidisciplinary Engagements
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Shane Mills, readiness non-commissioned officer for the 246th Transportation Battalion, Michigan National Guard, discusses U.S. Army fleet management documentation processes with vehicle drivers from the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), April 17, 2025, at the RSLAF Joint Logistics Unit in the Murray Town district of Freetown, Sierra Leone.
May 2, 2025 - FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – The partnership between the Michigan National Guard and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) took another step forward April 11-18 with three separate engagements conducted at various...

Louisiana Guard, Active Component Airmen Complete Air-to-Air Integration Training
A U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle from the 159th Fighter Wing flies alongside a B-52H Stratofortress  during air-to-air integration training, April 29, 2025. The training enhanced interoperability between active-duty and Air National Guard aircrews, reinforcing their ability to operate as a cohesive force in complex airspace. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Matthew Dougherty)
May 2, 2025 - BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. - The 2nd Bomb Wing, assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command under Eighth Air Force, and the Louisiana National Guard's 159th Fighter Wing demonstrated enhanced interoperability and...