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Rhode Island Guard’s Endurance Team Builds Strength
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ron Cloutier, Rhode Island National Guard Endurance Team coordinator, presents an arrangement of medals he has earned from running marathons with the Rhode Island National Guard's Marathon and Endurance teams at Quonset Air National Guard Base, North Kingstown, RI, April 11, 2025. Cloutier has more than 30 years of experience contributing to military competitive fitness programs. Photo by Staff Sgt. Meghan Keller.
July 21, 2026 - NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. – For Lt. Col. Ron Cloutier, endurance isn’t just about running miles; it’s about building a healthier, more disciplined force throughout the ranks of the Rhode Island National Guard.As the Rhode Island...
New York Guardsmen Build Critical Skills in Arctic Environment
A New York Army National Guard Soldier assigned to the 1156th Engineer Company constructs a new pitched roof over an existing flat roof at a lodging facility in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, June 15, 2026. The project is a partnership between the New York National Guard and Greenland Airports to address long-standing leaks and improve living conditions for Airmen supporting the New York Guard's 109th Airlift Wing’s Arctic mission. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jocelyn Tuller.
July 20, 2026 - KANGERLUSSUAQ, Greenland – New York National Guardsmen are building critical skills in an Arctic environment while solving a real-world problem through their work to repair a roof at their Greenland lodging facility.The New...
Puerto Rico, Rhode Island Guardsmen Test Deployment Capabilities
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Omar Berdecia, a radio frequency transmission systems specialist, sets-up an AN/PRC-160 radio during exercise FUNKY BUSINESS at the 130th Engineer Battalion, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, June 4, 2026. The exercise tested Airmen's ability to rapidly establish expeditionary communications and sustain mission readiness through realistic deployment operations and disciplined logistical procedures. Courtesy photo.
July 20, 2026 - PUNTA SALINAS AIR NATIONAL GUARD STATION, Puerto Rico –  Airmen from the 156th Combat Communications Squadron of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard and the 282nd Combat Communications Squadron of the Rhode Island Air National...
Minnesota Guard, Croatia Celebrate 30 Years of Partnership
Minnesota National Guard service members celebrate with Croatian Armed Forces for the 30th anniversary of their partnership through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program during Exercise Combat Power 26, June 23-July 1, 2026, in Croatia. Exercise Combat Power is designed to bring partners together to conduct joint operations in land, air and sea domains. Minnesota and Croatia have been united through the State Partnership Program for 30 years. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mahsima Alkamooneh.
July 20, 2026 - SLUNJ, Croatia – Minnesota and Croatia celebrated the 30th anniversary of their partnership through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, or SPP, during Exercise Combat Power 26, near Slunj,...
New Jersey Airman Shares Munitions Expertise With Partners, Allies
U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Foulk, a munitions flight senior enlisted leader assigned to the 177th Fighter Wing, New Jersey Air National Guard, provides a munitions briefing to military members from six different nations during a European Partnership Flight conference in Tirana, Albania. By sharing technical expertise and aligning operational best practices, the U.S. and its regional partners are building the foundational military capability, capacity and mutual confidence required to lead conventional defense efforts. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Alexandra M. Longfellow.
July 17, 2026 - TIRANA, Albania – A New Jersey Air National Guard munitions expert shared best practices in explosives safety and storage with military representatives from six European nations during the European Partnership Flight Air Base...
State Partnership Program Sets the Standard Through Defense Security Cooperation University
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 59th Aviation Troop Command, South Carolina National Guard, conduct a South Carolina Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team capabilities briefing for leaders from the Colombian Navy during a Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, or SPP, engagement at McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Eastover, South Carolina, July 14, 2026. The briefing included a demonstration of hoisting equipment, and provided a platform for SPP participants to learn how the equipment can be used during a natural disaster or rescue mission. The State Partnership Program is a cooperative military-to-military exchange, administered by the National Guard Bureau, that facilitates cooperation between U.S. National Guard units and foreign allies. Photo by Sgt. Ana-Grace Catoe.
July 17, 2026 - ARLINGTON, Va. – The Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, or SPP, now has a standardized mechanism to track, code and professionally develop its personnel across the country’s 54 states and...
Guam Guard Engineers Sharpen Readiness in South Korea
Engineers from the Guam Air National Guard’s 254th RED HORSE Squadron, together with the 8th Civil Engineer Squadron, tackle a backlog of vital maintenance and construction projects, Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, June 4, 2026. Photo by Mark Scott.
July 17, 2026 - KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea – Ten engineers from the Guam Air National Guard’s 254th RED HORSE Squadron recently wrapped up a critical two-week training deployment in South Korea, bringing a surge of manpower and expertise...
Arkansas National Guard, Guatemalan Partners Build Interoperability
Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Staunton-based 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, Arkansas National Guard Soldiers and Guatemalan service members partnered with Arkansas through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program move into the field June 8, 2026, during a training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center, or JRTC, at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Brig. Gen. Rusty McGuire, senior trainer for the Virginia Army National Guard’s JRTC rotation, and senior trainer noncommissioned officer Sgt. Maj. Ian Gilliam met with the Soldiers to discuss training operations and multinational interoperability. The 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team is the first Army National Guard brigade to participate in a JRTC rotation as a mobile brigade combat team after transitioning from an infantry brigade combat team in 2025. JRTC provides U.S. military units and personnel with complex, realistic combat training, including joint and combined-arms operations, force-on-force scenarios and live-fire exercises. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Clements.
July 16, 2026 - CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON, NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas National Guardsmen and Guatemalan Army special forces recently trained together at Fort Polk, Louisiana, during Joint Readiness Training Center, or JRTC, rotation...
Guard Chaplains, Partners Boost Readiness
Multinational participants pose for a group photo during the West African Religious Affairs Symposium, or WARAS, in Accra, Ghana, July 14, 2026. U.S. and African military chaplains from 10 partner nations gather for the three-day exchange to discuss methods to support and strengthen service members' spiritual resiliency. Photo by Airman 1st Class Alexandra Dale.
July 16, 2026 - ACCRA, Ghana – Military chaplains and religious affairs personnel from the National Guard and 10 African nations gathered July 14 for the launch of the West African Religious Affairs Symposium, or WARAS, a three-day event...
Pennsylvania Guard Expands Drone Training
Several shipping containers altered to look like buildings were relocated recently to the grounds of the Pennsylvania National Guard's Fort Indiantown Gap's Unmanned Aircraft System Training and Innovation Facility. The mock village allows Unmanned Aircraft System operators to fly drones around and through simulated buildings in an urban environment. Photo by Brad Rhen.
July 16, 2026 - FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – As the battlefield continually shifts toward unmanned aircraft systems, the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Fort Indiantown Gap is expanding its unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, and counter-UAS...
Wisconsin Guard, Papua New Guinea Strengthen Partnership
U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Brion J. Aderman, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard, and Col. Bruno Malau, head of the Coordination Branch from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, shake hands after the opening ceremony of Exercise Tamiok Strike 26 at Murray Barracks, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, July 13, 2026. Exercise Tamiok Strike 26 is a U.S. Army Pacific-led bilateral exercise conducted with the Papua New Guinea Defense Force that strengthens interoperability, readiness and military-to-military relationships through joint training, engineering, medical and leader engagements. The exercise demonstrates the enduring relationship between the United States and Papua New Guinea through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program while enhancing the ability of both forces to respond to regional security and humanitarian challenges across the Indo-Pacific. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mason Tran.
July 16, 2026 - PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea – Soldiers from the Wisconsin National Guard and the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, or PNGDF, stood shoulder to shoulder on the parade field at Murray Barracks during the July 13 opening...
Guardsmen Strengthen Defensive Capabilities in Cyber Shield 2026
Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Erin Parkin, 137 Special Ops Communications, completes an exercise simulating a cybersecurity event during Cyber Shield 2026 at the Professional Education Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, July 13, 2026. Cyber Shield 2026 is the largest annual Department of Defense cyber training event, bringing together more than 1,000 participants from 44 states and territories and 23 countries to collaborate and strengthen cyber capabilities on a global scale. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Archer.
July 16, 2026 - LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – More than 1,000 participants from 44 states and territories and 23 international partners have gathered at Camp Robinson to develop and test their defensive capabilities in real-world cyber scenarios aimed...
Wyoming Guard Supports Wildfire Response in Western US
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Nathaniel Sobieski, a crew chief assigned to the 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, adjusts tow equipment on a C-130 Hercules aircraft at Cheyenne Air National Guard Base, Wyoming, July 14, 2026. Crews repositioned the aircraft to test MAFFS 3, a Modular Airborne Firefighting System, as the wing prepared to depart for San Bernardino, California, following its July 13, 2026, activation in support of wildland firefighting operations. Photo by Master Sgt. Jonathon Alderman.
July 16, 2026 - CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing was activated July 13 to support wildland firefighting operations in the western United States, wing officials announced.The National Multi-Agency...
Minnesota Guard Strengthens Partnership with Croatia
Minnesota National Guard service members joined Croatian Armed Forces and nine other countries for Exercise Combat Power 26, June 23-July 1, 2026 in Croatia. Exercise Combat Power is designed to bring partners together to conduct joint operations in land, air and sea domains. Minnesota and Croatia have been united through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program for 30 years. Photo by Staff Sgt. Mahsima Alkamooneh.
July 16, 2026 - SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Sixty-six Minnesota National Guard Soldiers and Airmen trained in five locations simultaneously in Croatia as part of Exercise Combat Power 26, a multinational exercise that strengthened interoperability...
Army National Guard Names 2026 Best Warrior Competition Winners
U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney Kendrick, left, the Army National Guard command sergeant major, poses with U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Fouts, representing the Arizona Army National Guard, U.S. Army Spc. Brandon Brown, representing the Florida Army National Guard, and U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, director of the Army National Guard, following the Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition awards ceremony at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Fla., July 15, 2026. Brown was named the 2026 Army National Guard Soldier of the Year and Fouts was named the 2026 Army National Guard Noncommissioned Officer of the Year. Photo by Staff Sgt. Neysa Huertas Quinones.
July 16, 2026 - CAMP BLANDING JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Fla. – U.S. Army Spc. Brandon Brown, representing the Florida Army National Guard, earned the title of 2026 Army National Guard Soldier of the Year, and U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Fouts,...
California Air Guard Supports Wildfire Response
California Air National Guard personnel assigned to the 146th Airlift Wing load a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS, into a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Port Hueneme, California, July 9, 2026. The 146th Airlift Wing was activated in coordination with the National Interagency Fire Center, the U.S. Forest Service and the Air Expeditionary Group under a new Aerial Quick Strike request for assistance, which positioned two MAFFS-equipped C-130J aircraft to support initial aerial firefighting operations and relocate as mission requirements dictated. Photo by Master Sgt. Nicholas Carzis.
July 14, 2026 - BOISE, Idaho – Two Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS, equipped aircraft assigned to the California National Guard have been activated to support federal and state wildfire suppression efforts in California...
West Virginia Guardsmen Provide Care Through Readiness Training
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John Adams, performs an eye exam during the Green River Area Wellness Innovative Readiness Training, or IRT, mission, June 17, 2026. IRT missions provide key medical, dental and optometry services to underserved communities who may not be able to access care otherwise. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Kelvin McConnell.
July 14, 2026 - CHARLESTON, W.Va. – West Virginia National Guard Airmen from the 130th Airlift Wing’s Medical Group recently concluded the Green River Area Wellness mission, providing vital healthcare to underserved communities in Western...
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