Guard News - The National Guard - Tag Washington National Guard

Washington Guard Strengthens Readiness for Wildfire Season
May 11, 2026 — PUYALLUP, Wash. – In preparation for Washington’s upcoming wildfire season, aviation crews assigned to the Washington Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 168th General Support Aviation Battalion... MORE

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter assigned to 1st Battalion, 168th General Support Aviation Battalion, Washington Army National Guard conducts a water bucket drop during wildfire response training with Central Pierce Fire and Rescue near Puyallup, Washington, May 7, 2026.

Washington Guard, Singapore Start Exercise Tiger Balm
May 6, 2026 — JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – The Washington Army National Guard, alongside U.S. Army Pacific and in partnership with the Singapore Armed Forces, officially opened Exercise Tiger Balm 2026 on May... MORE

U.S. Soldiers with the Washington National Guard and members of the Singaporean Armed Forces form together for the opening ceremony for Exercise Tiger Balm 2026 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, May 4, 2026.

Washington Guard Leaders Engage Troops, Partners in Indo-Pacific Visit
May 4, 2026 — JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, the adjutant general of the Washington National Guard, and Command Chief Master Sgt. Allan Lawson, the senior enlisted for the Washington... MORE

Royal Thai Army Senior Colonel Teeragut Sengrod, commander of the 11th Infantry Division, Royal Thai Army, or RTA, meets with U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, the adjutant general of the Washington National Guard, at an RTA base in Chon Buri, Thailand, April 10, 2026.

HIMARS Unit Fires Simultaneously Across 700 Miles, Three States
April 23, 2026 — BOISE, Idaho – Twelve M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, were fired simultaneously across 700 miles and three states April 17, testing the HIMARS crews’ ability to deliver... MORE

M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMAR, crews fire at Camp Orchard, Boise, Idaho, during I Corps’ Courage Lethality exercise April 17, 2026.

Washington Guard Transfers Strykers to Bulgarian Land Forces
April 23, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – With the ongoing transformation of the 81st Brigade from a Stryker to a Mobile Brigade, the Washington National Guard transferred eight Strykers to the Bulgarian Land Forces... MORE

Brig. Gen. Paul Sellars, commanding general, Washington Army National Guard, sits down with Evgeni Mandadzhiev, reporter with the Ministry of Defense Information Center, to introduce the Stryker Fighting Vehicles and discuss the role of the National Guard in supporting the Bulgarian Land Forces, April 15, 2026, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Washington Guard Leads Multi-Agency Radiation Response Workshop
April 22, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – The Washington National Guard’s 10th Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction) hosted a multi-agency Radiation Response Workshop April 3, bringing together federal, state... MORE

Maj. Jaymar Imperial, Operations Officer, 10th Civil Support Team gives a briefing during a multi-agency Radiation Response Workshop, April 3, 2026 at Camp Murray, Wash.

Washington Guard Athletes Earn All-Guard Endurance Team Honors
April 17, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Three Citizen-Soldier athletes from the Washington Army National Guard proved their grit and competitive edge on a national stage, earning spots on the All-National Guard... MORE

Capt. Julie Keppner, 122nd Theater Public Affairs Support Element; Maj. Brendan Thompson, Special Operations Detachment–Pacific; and Capt. Eddy Allen, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 56th Theater Information Operations Group show off their medals following the National Guard Endurance Team trials, held as part of the Nebraska DekaFit Road Show at the Nebraska Army Aviation Support Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, April 11, 2026.

Washington Guard, Thai Partners Expand Disaster Response Capabilities
April 9, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard joined Thai partners for a week-long subject matter expert exchange at the Port of Laem Chabang and Sri Racha Hospital, March 2-9,... MORE

Firefighters from the Port of Laem Chabang participate in subject matter expert exchange with Soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard at the Port of Laem Chabang and Sri Racha Hospital, Thailand, March 7, 2026.

Washington Guard Hosts Annual Tribal Police, Counterdrug Conference
March 13, 2026 — TUMWATER, Wash. – With a focus on increasing public safety and reducing the availability of illegal drugs in Washington Tribes, the Washington National Guard’s Counterdrug Program held its annual... MORE

Maj. Andriy Karpenko, UAS/C-UAS officer, Washington National Guard Counterdrug Program, discusses different UAS, or unmanned aerial systems, operating systems with police officers at the 2026 Tribal Police Leadership & Counterdrug Conference March 10, 2026, at the Thurston County Readiness Center, Tumwater, Wash.

Washington Guard, Royal Thai Army Strengthen Ties With Stryker Leader Exchange
March 10, 2026 — CHON BURI PROVINCE, Thailand – Six soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard partnered with members of the Royal Thai Army to conduct a Stryker Leader Course subject matter expert exchange Jan... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Samuel Mattern, 205th Regimental Training Institute, Washington Army National Guard discusses the rigging techniques of the Winch (Self) Recovery method with soldiers from the Royal Thai Army during a Stryker Leader Exchange on Feb. 2, 2026, in Chon Buri Province, Thailand.

Exercise Cobra Gold Ends for US, Thailand Partners
March 6, 2026 — RAYONG, Thailand – The joint multinational military Exercise Cobra Gold 2026, held annually in Thailand, has successfully concluded after two weeks of intensive training, humanitarian efforts and... MORE

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Taihei Hongo, chief of staff, 10th Homeland Response Force and deputy Command and Control, conducts the Combined Forces Land Component Commanders Update Brief with Thai and Singaporean service members during Exercise Cobra Gold 2026 at Camp Red Horse, Rayong province, Thailand, March 2, 2026.

Washington Guard, Thailand Partners Train Through Cobra Gold 2026
March 2, 2026 — PHANOM SARAKHAM DISTRICT, CHACHOENGSAO, Thailand – When a disaster happens, and lives are in danger, time might be the most critical asset first responders have.“We train together, [so] we can respond... MORE

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Waylon Dashiell, 141st Civil Engineers, Washington Air National Guard, cuts a concrete wall alongside the Bangkok Fire and Rescue Department during the humanitarian assistance disaster relief demonstration, part of Exercise Cobra Gold 2026 at the Disaster Relief Training Centre, Phanom Sarakham District, Chachoengsao, Thailand, Feb. 27, 2026.

Washington Air Guard Hosts Cyber Protection Team Conference
March 2, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – The Washington Guard’s 194th Wing made history by becoming the first Air National Guard wing to host the Cyber Protection Team Conference, a meeting of military and civilian cyber... MORE

U.S. Air Force Col. Jack Johnson, 252nd Cyber Operations Group commander, Washington Air National Guard, speaks during the Cyber Protection Team Conference 2026 at the Pierce County Readiness Center, Camp Murray, Washington, Feb. 23, 2026.

Washington Guard Strengthens Counter-Drone Readiness Before World Cup 2026
February 18, 2026 — JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – With millions of soccer fans set to descend on the Pacific Northwest for the FIFA World Cup 2026, the Washington National Guard and public safety leaders are... MORE

Capt. Ryan Hafley, commander, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 96th Troop Command, attaches a new target to a unmanned aerial system during the FIFA Field-Ready Range Day at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Feb. 11, 2026.

Washington Guard Hosts Foundation Day to Strengthen Homeland Defense Readiness
February 4, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Military and civilian leaders convened Jan. 29, as the Washington National Guard, with support from the National Guard Bureau and U.S. Northern Command, hosted a Foundation Day... MORE

Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, the adjutant general of the Washington National Guard, provides opening comments for a Foundation Day event, Jan., 29, 2026, at Camp Murray, Washington.

Washington Guard’s 111th Contingency Response Squadron Holds First Drill
February 4, 2026 — FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. – The 111th Contingency Response Squadron, or CRS, conducted its first scheduled drill weekend Jan. 29, marking an initial step in preparing the newly formed unit for... MORE

Washington Guard Airmen assigned to the 111th Contingency Response Squadron conduct training during the unit’s first scheduled drill weekend Jan. 29, 2026, at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington.

Washington Guard Lifts WWII-Era Bomber for Move to Museum
January 28, 2026 — OAK HARBOR, Wash. – A story, years in the making, came to an end for the city of Oak Harbor when a CH-47 Chinook air crew from the Washington Army National Guard air lifted a World War II-era PBY-5a... MORE

A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation Regiment, 96th Aviation Troop Command, Washington National Guard, sling loads a PBY-5A Catalina amphibious aircraft from Oak Harbor, Wash., Jan. 21, 2026.

Washington, Oregon Guard Soldiers Inducted Into the Order of the Spur
January 26, 2026 — CAMP LEMMONIER, Djibouti – Soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard, including those assigned to the 303rd Cavalry Regiment and the 81st Brigade, along with attached Soldiers from the Oregon... MORE

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Tim Englund, a master spur holder assigned to the 303rd Cavalry Regiment, Washington National Guard, inspects a gold spur during a ceremony at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Jan. 9, 2026.

Washington Guard Shortens Officer Candidate School by Four Months
January 21, 2026 — JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – The Washington National Guard is cutting the timeline for commissioning officers through its Officer Candidate School, or OCS, by four months while maintaining the... MORE

U.S. Army officer candidates listen on the radio for word from the platoon sergeant to advance their position while taking part in a platoon situational training exercise during Officer Candidate School, or OCS, Phase III at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., Aug. 5, 2025.

Washington Army Guard Officer Earns Jungle Tab
January 8, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – When he decided to join the Washington National Guard, 1st Lt. Jenner Sapienza set out to pursue challenging opportunities.While serving as the training officer at the 205th... MORE

1st Lt. Jenner Sapienza poses with the 25th Infantry Division "Lightning Academy" sign following graduation of the U.S. Army Jungle Operations Training Course, Schofield Barracks, Wahiawa, Hawaii, Dec. 19, 2025.

Arkansas Guard’s 189th Airlift Wing Wins Safety Awards

Wyoming Guard Engineers, Habitat for Humanity Partner to Build Homes

Connecticut Guard Strengthens Preparedness, Hosts Cyber Yankee

Washington Guard Strengthens Readiness for Wildfire Season

Arizona Guard Physician Honored for Heroism During Jordan Attack