Guard News - The National Guard

New Jersey Airman Shares Munitions Expertise With Partners, Allies
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... MORE

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.

State Partnership Program Sets the Standard Through Defense Security Cooperation University
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... MORE

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.

Arkansas National Guard, Guatemalan Partners Build Interoperability
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... MORE

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.

Guard Chaplains, Partners Boost Readiness
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... MORE

Multinational participants pose for a group photo during the West African Religious Affairs Symposium, or WARAS, in Accra, Ghana, July 14, 2026.

Wisconsin Guard, Papua New Guinea Strengthen Partnership
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... MORE

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.

Minnesota Guard Strengthens Partnership with Croatia
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... MORE

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.

Arkansas Guardsmen Strengthen Partnership With Guatemala Mission
July 14, 2026 — EBBING AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ark. – Three Arkansas Air National Guard Security Forces Airmen will deploy in August to Guatemala, where they will use their Spanish language fluency to train with... MORE

Airman Basic Giselle Aguilar-Garrido, Airman 1st Class Arturo Peña and Tech. Sgt. Jaime Flores, all with the 188th Security Forces Squadron at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, have been chosen for a deployment to Guatemala in August because of their Spanish language fluency.

Guam, Washington Enhance Readiness With Palau Partners
July 13, 2026 — BARRIGADA, Guam – Guardsmen from the Guam National Guard and the Washington National Guard recently conducted Exercise Alupang ACE in support of Exercise Valiant Shield 2026 in Palau as part of Guam’s... MORE

A U.S. Air Force C-130 sourced by the Washington National Guard lands on Angaur Airstrip, Palau, June 25, 2026 as part of exercise Alupang ACE.

Ohio Guard, Angola Sign State Partnership Program Agreement
July 8, 2026 — LUANDA, Angola – Senior military leaders from the Republic of Angola, the Ohio National Guard and U.S. Africa Command opened a new chapter in U.S.-Africa security cooperation during the Department of... MORE

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Matthew S. Woodruff, right, adjutant general for the Ohio National Guard, and Angolan Aviation Gen. Altino Carlos José dos Santos, left, chief of the General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces, sign a Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program agreement prior to the 2026 African Chiefs of Defense Conference in Luanda, Angola, June 29, 2026.

Washington Guard Boosts Thai Partners’ Armored Fleet Readiness
July 8, 2026 — CHON BURI PROVINCE, Thailand – Mechanics and logisticians with the Washington National Guard wrapped up a three-week maintenance and logistics exchange with the Royal Thai Army in Ko Chan District... MORE

Mechanics and logisticians with the Washington National Guard wrapped up a three-week maintenance and logistics exchange with the Royal Thai Army in Ko Chan District on May 30, 2026.

Togolese Officials Sharpen Disaster Response With North Dakota, Army Partners
July 8, 2026 — AGOME-GLOZOU, Togo – Togo’s National Civil Protection Agency, or NCPA, conducted a field training exercise with North Dakota disaster-relief experts and civil affairs Soldiers assigned to the U.S... MORE

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Mitchell Johnson, second from the right, the adjutant general for the North Dakota National Guard and director of the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, speaks with the military member of Togo’s National Civil Protection Agency, or NCPA, left, during a visit to a field operations center at the field exercise portion of Operation Lignite Coast 2026 in Agome-Glozou, Togo, June 15, 2026.

Washington Guard, Malaysia Partners Gather for Bersama Warrior
July 6, 2026 — KUANTAN, Malaysia – The Washington National Guard and the Malaysian Armed Forces have ended the 12th iteration of Bersama Warrior, a bilateral, U.S. Army Pacific-led joint exercise held at the Joint... MORE

U.S. and Malaysian service members pose for a group photo during the closing ceremony for Bersama Warrior 26 at the Joint Warfighting Center, Kuantan, Malaysia, June 12, 2026.

Pennsylvania Guard, Côte d’Ivoire Formalize State Partnership
June 25, 2026 — PHILADELPHIA – In a landmark event underscoring a commitment to international security and cooperation, the Pennsylvania National Guard and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire officially... MORE

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John R. Pippy, adjutant general of the Pennsylvania National Guard and Chief of the General Staff of the Côte d'Ivoire Armed Forces Gen. Lassina Doumbia sign the official Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program agreement during a ceremony at the 23rd Street Armory in Philadelphia, June 25, 2026.

Tennessee Guard, Bulgaria Partners Train in Falcon Defender 26
June 25, 2026 — GRAF IGNATIEVO AIR BASE, Bulgaria – Security Forces Airmen from the Tennessee Air National Guard and the Bulgarian Air Force participated June 8-12 in Falcon Defender 26, an annual exercise focused on... MORE

Senior Airman Ashlyn Rayl, 134th Security Forces Squadron, talks with a Bulgarian force protection airman before the capstone for Falcon Defender 26, Graf Ignatievo Air Base, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, June 12, 2026.

Washington Guard, Thailand Partners Complete Stryker Leader Course
June 25, 2026 — CHON BURI PROVINCE, Thailand – The Washington National Guard’s 205th Regional Training Institute, or RTI, has completed the seventh iteration of the Stryker Leader Course with the 112th Stryker... MORE

The Washington National Guard’s 205th Regional Training Institute has completed the seventh iteration of the Stryker Leader Course at the 112th Stryker Regiment Combat Team base in Koh Chan, Chonburi Province, marking another step forward in the long-standing security partnership between the Washington National Guard and Thailand.

Hawaii Guard, Indonesia Mark 20 Years of State Partnership
June 24, 2026 — JAKARTA, Indonesia – Hawaii National Guard leaders met with Indonesian military and government officials June 8-12 to share lessons in disaster response and reserve force development and mark the 20th... MORE

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Stephen F. Logan (right), adjutant general of the Hawaii National Guard, and Lt. Gen. TNI Gabriel Lema, head of Indonesia's National Reserve Agency (Bacadnas), share a discussion during a key leader engagement at Bacadnas headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 9, 2026.

Washington Guard, Malaysia Strengthen Partnership at Security Summit
June 24, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – A group of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear, or CBRN, experts from the Washington National Guard and the National Guard Bureau played a key role in the 3rd... MORE

Maj. Luis Torres, National Guard Bureau liaison officer to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, or INDOPACOM, and Capt. Matthew Chartier, operations officer, 420th Chemical Battalion, 96th Troop Command, talk with others at the Indo-Pacific Health Security Summit, June 7, 2026, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

North Carolina Guard Partner Zambia Hosts Disaster Response Workshop
June 23, 2026 — LUSAKA, Zambia – Representatives from the North Carolina National Guard, Botswana, Malawi, Moldova (virtually) and Zambia gathered for the North Carolina State Partnership Program Domestic Response... MORE

Participants at the Domestic Response Workshop watch videos of previous floods in Zambia at the Zambia Army Headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia, June 9, 2026.

Iowa Guard, Kosovo Partners Strengthen Communications in Exercise Sentinel Sica
June 17, 2026 — POMOZOTIN, Kosovo – Iowa National Guard communications personnel participated in Exercise Sentinel Sica, a multinational communications exercise designed to test interoperability, mission command and... MORE

Iowa Air National Guard communication Airmen work to establish network connectivity while being observed by Kosovo Security Force communications soldiers during Exercise Sentinel Sica in Kosovo, June 9, 2026.

Virginia Air Guard, Finnish Partners Sharpen Tactics, Readiness
June 17, 2026 — EBBING AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ark. – Two F-22 Raptors from the Virginia Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Squadron touched down at Ebbing Air National Guard Base June 16 for a joint-training... MORE

An F-22 Raptor from the Virginia Air National Guard’s 192nd Fighter Wing flies alongside a Finnish Air Force F-35 Lightning II at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, June 16, 2026.

Pennsylvania Guard Expands Drone Training

Guardsmen Strengthen Defensive Capabilities in Cyber Shield 2026

Wyoming Guard Supports Wildfire Response in Western US

Army National Guard Names 2026 Best Warrior Competition Winners

California Air Guard Supports Wildfire Response