Guard News - The National Guard

Wisconsin National Guard Brigade Begins Major Training Exercise
June 6, 2024 — FORT JOHNSON, La. – More than 5,000 Soldiers from across the United States, along with support elements from Canada, have arrived at the Joint Readiness Training Center for a month-long training... MORE

More than 5,000 Soldiers have arrived at the Joint Readiness Training Center on Fort Johnson, Louisiana, to take part in a month-long training exercise led by the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. As they arrive, the Soldiers in-process, gather gear, help offload vehicles from trains and semis, perform maintenance checks, and install MILES (multiple integrated laser engagement system) on everything from personal weapons to all varieties of vehicles, all while acclimating to the Louisiana heat and humidity.

Louisiana National Guard Engineers Prepare for Deployment
April 20, 2024 — NEW ORLEANS - More than 40 Louisiana Army National Guard 1021st Engineer Vertical Construction Company Soldiers are conducting pre-mobilization training at the Louisiana National Guard Training Center... MORE

Louisiana National Guard Soldiers of the 1021st Engineer Vertical Construction Company, 205th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade, conduct pre-mobilization training at the Louisiana National Guard Training Center in Pineville. Soldiers are preparing for deployment to the Central Command area of responsibility to support Operations Inherent Resolve, Freedom Sentinel and Spartan Shield.

Army Guard Recognizes Top Recruiting, Retention Soldiers
March 28, 2024 — HOUSTON – More than 40 Soldiers in pristine World War II-style Army green dress uniforms lined the wall of a hotel ballroom as Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard, recognized... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert Williams, right, Washington Army National Guard, receives the Recruiting and Retention Noncommissioned Officer of the Year award from Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard, at the Director’s Strength Maintenance Awards Conference in Houston March 14, 2024. The conference enabled recruiting and retention Soldiers to network, exchange best practices, and honor the Army National Guard’s best recruiters.

Louisiana National Guard Conducts Premobilization Training
March 21, 2024 — PINEVILLE, La. – Approximately 85 Soldiers from the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 139th Regional Support Group, conducted annual premobilization training March 2-16.The two-week training at... MORE

A Louisiana National Guard Soldier from the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 139th Regional Support Group, participates in pre-mobilization annual training at Louisiana National Guard Training Center Pineville. The training was conducted with 85 Soldiers March 2-16, 2024, to prepare for deployment to Europe this spring to support the European Assure, Deter and Reinforce mission.

Louisiana Army Guard Aviation Unit Holds Deployment Ceremony
January 4, 2024 — NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana Army National Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 244th Aviation Regiment, bid farewell to family and friends during a... MORE

Soldiers of the 1-244th Assault Helicopter Battalion sing the Army Song during a deployment ceremony at the Army Aviation Support Facility #1 in Hammond, Louisiana, Dec. 2, 2023. Over 70 Soldiers will deploy to Kosovo to support a NATO-led peacekeeping mission.

Oklahoma National Guard Aviation Unit Deploying to Kosovo
January 2, 2024 — TULSA, Okla. – Loved ones gathered alongside nearly 50 Oklahoma Army National Guardsmen during a deployment ceremony Dec. 30 at the Army Aviation Support Facility 2 in Tulsa.Members of Charlie... MORE

Loved ones gathered alongside nearly 50 Oklahoma Army National Guardsmen during a deployment ceremony Dec. 30, 2023, at the Army Aviation Support Facility 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Members of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion (Assault Helicopter Battalion), 244th Aviation Regiment, 90th Troop Command, will deploy to Kosovo to support oOperation Joint Guardian (KFOR).

Louisiana Guard Team Shines at Military Intelligence Contest
September 25, 2023 — PINEVILLE, La.– A team of four Louisiana National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 415th Military Intelligence Battalion, 139th Regional Support Group, took second place overall and first in the... MORE

Four Louisiana National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 415th Military Intelligence Battalion, 139th Regional Support Group, took second place overall and first in the National Guard in the Interrogation Show and Rodeo 23 competition at the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command’s Intelligence Training Center at Camp Bullis in San Antonio, Texas, Sept. 10-14, 2023. The 311th Military Intelligence Battalion from Camp Zama, Japan, finished first and the 2nd Cavalry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas, was third.

National Guard Fights Louisiana Wildfires From the Air
September 1, 2023 — NEW ORLEANS – National Guard helicopter crews from Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama have dropped more than 1.1 million gallons of water on wildfires in western Louisiana since Aug... MORE

Louisiana National Guard aviation assets began water-drop missions Aug. 23, 2023, to combat wildfires in western Louisiana. They have been assisted by the Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee National Guard.

Louisiana National Guard Mobilized to Battle Wildfires
August 28, 2023 — NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana National Guard activated 97 Soldiers to help fight wildfires in Beauregard Parish. LANG helicopter crews began water-drop missions on Aug. 23, assisting the Louisiana... MORE

The Louisiana National Guard deployed one engineer assessment team and 16 bulldozers with crew members from the 225th Engineer Brigade to Singer to help the Louisiana Forestry Department clear and widen fire lanes to help prevent the spread of wildfires in the area. Almost 100 Soldiers were supporting the wildfire response, including Black Hawk and Chinook helicopter crews.

Louisiana National Guard Welcomes Partner Belize for Training
June 28, 2023 — PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Army National Guard welcomed service members from Belize to participate in a training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, May... MORE

Maj. Gen. Keith Waddell, Louisiana National Guard adjutant general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Clifford J. Ockman Jr., Louisiana National Guard senior enlisted advisor, with service members from Belize during a visit to the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson in Leesville, La., June 6, 2023. Louisiana and Belize have been partnered together as part of the State Partnership Program since 1996.

Fort Johnson Renaming Ceremony Hits Home for Jersey Guard
June 15, 2023 — FORT JOHNSON, La. – More than a century ago, as many as 150,000 New Jerseyans raised their right hands and served in the Great War. Just one stood watch with Sgt. William Henry Johnson, namesake of... MORE

New York Army National Guard Sgt. Henry Johnson, circa 1919. Johnson was part of the 369th Infantry Regiment Hellfighters from Harlem who fought under French command in WWI as an all-black combat unit. Johnson received the French Croix de Guerre for his actions defending his outpost and fellow Soldier Pvt. Needham Roberts May 15, 1918.

Army National Guard Support Vital to EDGE 23
May 25, 2023 — YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. - The Army Futures Command Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team (FVL CFT) held its Experimental Demonstration Gateway Event 23 at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground over... MORE

First Sgt. Patrick Casha, flight paramedic with the Oregon Army National Guard, demonstrates the new MH60M Medical Upgrade Interior kit designed for Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft during EDGE 23 Distinguished Visitor Day at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, May 18, 2023.

Guard Saved Lives, Property, Responding to 2022 Disasters
December 28, 2022 — ARLINGTON, Va. – With approximately 450,000 members, the National Guard plays a role in every element of the National Defense Strategy, including defending the homeland. Over half of its members were... MORE

Alaska Air National Guard Tech Sgt. Robert Wolford, a metals technician assigned to the 168th Maintenance Squadron, cleans up debris as part of Operation Merbok Response in Koyuk, Alaska, Sept. 27, 2022. Remnants of Typhoon Merbok caused dramatic flooding across more than 1,000 miles of Alaskan coastline.

Guard Continues Domestic, Global Missions in a Busy 2022
December 21, 2022 — ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Guard’s footprint on domestic and international events continued in 2022, highlighting its transformation from a Cold War strategic reserve to the combat reserve of the... MORE

Spc. Megan Koszarek, an infantryman with the Alaska Army National Guard’s Avalanche Company, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, conducts a security sweep during a training exercise near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Dec. 3, 2022. The exercise's aim was to enhance the unit’s combat readiness and evaluate proficiency in an arctic environment.

Louisiana Guard Supports Communities Damaged by Storm
December 19, 2022 — NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana National Guard helped support communities around the state that were hit by a severe storm with damaging tornadoes Dec. 14.Louisiana Guard members provided 16,200 bottles... MORE

Louisiana National Guard men and women from the 165th CSSB, 139th Regional Support Group, delivered more than 2,000 tarps and 16,200 liters of water throughout Iberia, Jefferson, Orleans, St. Charles and Union Parishes after a severe storm with damaging tornadoes struck Dec. 14, 2022.

Louisiana Guard Engineers Participate in Warfighter Exercise
December 2, 2022 — PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Army National Guard’s 225th Engineer Brigade participated in a warfighter exercise at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Oct. 31–Nov. 15.Warfighter is a tactical command... MORE

Louisiana National Guardsmen assigned to the 225th Engineer Brigade review a map during Warfighter 23-2 at Fort Stewart, Georgia, Nov. 1, 2022.

Louisiana Guard Tiger Brigade Tested in Warfighter Exercise
November 29, 2022 — PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana Army National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team sent more than 100 Soldiers to participate in Warfighter Exercise 23-2 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, Oct. 25-Nov... MORE

Soldiers with the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team plan and review the unit’s movements during Warfighter 23-2 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, Nov. 8, 2022. The warfighter exercises provide virtual battlefield scenarios that test a unit’s staff and Soldiers’ ability to coordinate and communicate in functional skill areas such as command and control, movement and maneuver, intelligence, targeting processes, sustainment and protection.

Louisiana’s 159th Fighter Wing Conducts Deployment Exercise
November 9, 2022 — BELLE CHASSE, La. - The Louisiana National Guard’s 159th Fighter Wing conducted an exercise at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans Nov. 4-6 to maintain deployment readiness.If a... MORE

An F-15C Eagle takes off during a readiness exercise at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, Nov. 6, 2022. The exercise included 13 Boeing F-15Cs launching to participate in a training exercise with seven other aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico.

Louisiana Guard Joins Hurricane Ian Response in Florida
September 30, 2022 — PINEVILLE, La. – The Louisiana National Guard is supporting the response to Hurricane Ian in Florida at the request of the Florida Department of Emergency Management.Almost 80 Louisiana Guard members,... MORE

Nearly 60 Louisiana National Guardsmen assigned to the 1087th Transportation Company, 165th Combat Sustainment and Support Brigade, 139th Regional Support Group, prepare tactical vehicles to assist emergency operations in Florida after Hurricane Ian, Slidell, Louisiana, Sept. 29, 2022.

Thousands of Guardsmen Supporting Hurricane Ian Response
September 29, 2022 — ARLINGTON, Va. – More than 5,000 National Guardsmen from multiple states are positioned across southwest and central Florida to help communities devastated by Hurricane Ian.Florida Guardsmen and... MORE

U.S. Army Soldiers with the Florida National Guard's Chemical, Biological, Radiological/Nuclear, and Explosive - Enhanced Response Force Package load supplies as part of their response to Hurricane Ian, Sarasota, Fla., Sept. 29, 2022. Soldiers and Airmen were joined by emergency responders from other states as they mobilized to support the local community.

Pennsylvania Guard Aviation Partners with Coast Guard

Arizona National Guard’s Task Force SAFE Strengthens Border Security

Idaho Guard Airmen Push Limits in Joint Field Training

Pennsylvania Guard Competes in Governor’s Twenty Marksmanship Competition

N.Y. National Guard Aircrews Train with Forest Rangers to Prep for Wildfires