Guard News - The National Guard

Vermont National Guard Conducts Key Leader Engagements With Senegal Partners Ahead of 2027 Medical Exercise
May 7, 2026 — THIÈS, Senegal – Vermont National Guard leaders conducted a pre-deployment site survey in Thiès, Senegal, May 3-4, to assess regional healthcare capabilities and coordinate planning for Medical... MORE

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Gene Enriquez, State Partnership Program director with the Vermont National Guard, greets Dr. Amadou Mbaye Diouf, chief physician, during a key leader engagement in Thiès, Senegal, May 4, 2026, to discuss regional healthcare priorities and inform planning for a 2027 medical readiness exercise.

Hawaii, Philippine Aircrews Strengthen Partnership Through Flight
May 6, 2026 — CLARK AIR BASE, Philippines – Beneath the steady rhythm of rotor blades and shared purpose, Hawaii National Guard and Philippine Air Force aviators came together for a Rotary Wing Subject Matter... MORE

Philippine Air Force Sgt. Julius Chun Manasan, left, mechanic assigned to the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing; U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Christopher Pacheco, center left, senior mechanic and standardization instructor assigned to the Hawaii Army National Guard; Philippine Air Force Lt. Col. John Paul Delgado, center, commander of the 210th Tactical Training Squadron; and U.S. Army Maj. John Worthington, right, Army Aviation Support Facility commander, standardization pilot and instrument examiner assigned to the Hawaii Army National Guard, pose for a photo in front of a Philippine Air Force S-70i Black Hawk helicopter during a Rotary Wing Subject Matter Expert Exchange Clark Air Base, Philippines, April 15, 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.

Alabama Guard, Romanian Air Force Strengthen Partnership
May 4, 2026 — DANNELLY FIELD, Ala. – The Alabama National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing hosted Romanian Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Leonard-Gabriel Baraboi and Brig. Gen. Florin Tomiuc, Romanian defense attaché, in... MORE

Romanian Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Leonard Baraboi, left, and Col. John D. Caldwell, commander of the 187th Fighter Wing, Alabama Air National Guard, meet April 9, 2026, at Dannelly Field, Alabama.

Hawaiian Raptors Enhance Interoperability During Cope Thunder
April 29, 2026 — CLARK AIR BASE, Philippines – For more than 90 Airmen from the 199th Air Expeditionary Squadron, Exercise Cope Thunder 26-1, conducted April 6-17, was more than just another deployment; it was an... MORE

Philippine Air Force 5th Fighter Wing pilots welcome U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard pilots assigned to the 199th Air Expeditionary Squadron, comprising the 19th Fighter Squadron and 199th Fighter Squadron, following arrival at exercise Cope Thunder 26-1 at Basa Air Base, Philippines, April 3, 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.

Minnesota Guard, Croatia Partners Participate in Best Warrior Competition
April 22, 2026 — LITTLE FALLS, Minn. – Twenty-seven Minnesota Guard members, along with Canadian and Croatian soldiers, tested their skills April 15-18 during harsh weather conditions in the 2026 Minnesota Best... MORE

Minnesota Army National Guard Spc. Bronson Stachowiak, from Cottage Grove, Minnesota, who serves as a unit supply specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 682nd Engineer Battalion is one of 27 service members from the Minnesota National Guard and NATO allied nations Canada and Croatia who participated in the 2026 Minnesota Best Warrior Competition April 15-18, 2026, at Camp Ripley, near Little Falls, Minnesota.

Kentucky Guard, Ecuador Share Disaster Response Tactics
April 16, 2026 — LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Seven members of the Ecuadorian armed services visited Kentucky recently to learn more about how the Kentucky National Guard responds to emergencies and to share their own disaster... MORE

A U.S. Army Soldier from the Kentucky National Guard’s 41st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team demonstrates equipment used to test for hazardous airborne isotopes for members of the Ecuadorian military at the Kentucky Air National Guard base in Louisville, Ky., March 9, 2026.

Washington Air Guard Strengthens Ties During Thai Leadership Visit
April 15, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – The Washington Air National Guard hosted Royal Thai Air Force commander-in-chief Air Chief Marshal Sakesan Kantha April 13, advancing a more than two-decade partnership focused on... MORE

Brig. Gen. Ken Borchers, Commander, Washington Air National Guard and Assistant Adjutant General, Washington National Guard, presents gifts to Air Chief Marshal Sakesan Kantha, Commander-in-Chief, Royal Thai Air Force, during a visit to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., April 13, 2026.

Texas Guard, Chile Strengthen Partnership at FIDAE Air and Space Show
April 13, 2026 — SANTIAGO, Chile - The Texas Air National Guard joined more than 100 airmen from across the globe to showcase its capabilities April 7-12 at the Feria Internacional del Aire y Espacio, or FIDAE,... MORE

Chilean Defense Minister Fernando Barros arrives for the opening ceremony at the Feria Internacional del Aire y del Espacio, or FIDAE, 2026 in Santiago, Chile, April 7, 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.

Florida National Guard Partners with Greece in State Partnership Program
April 8, 2026 — SAINT AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The Florida National Guard has been designated as Greece’s partner in the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, or SPP, establishing a long-term... MORE

Polish Soldier Wins Illinois National Guard Best Warrior Competition
April 6, 2026 — MARSEILLES, Ill. – Polish Territorial Defense Forces Soldier Mateusz, whose rank and surname have been omitted to comply with the Polish Territorial Defense Forces policy, traveled across the Atlantic... MORE

Command Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Kelly, the senior enlisted leader of the Illinois Army National Guard, presents the Illinois Army National Guard’s 2026 Soldier of the Year award to Polish Territorial Defense Forces Soldier Mateusz. Competitors from the Illinois National Guard and the Polish Territorial Defense Force, partnered through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, participated in the 2026 Illinois Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition held March 26-29, 2026, at the Marseilles Training Area. Photo by Sgt. Haesi Fanizzo.

Indiana Guard, Slovak Partners Strengthen Ties, Conduct Air Training
March 31, 2026 — TUCSON, Ariz. – The 122nd Fighter Wing with the Indiana Air National Guard and Slovak Air Force took part in an air-to-air joint training Exchange of Experience exercise Feb. 12-17, at Davis-Monthan... MORE

A F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft pilot assigned to the Slovak Armed Forces shakes hands with a U.S. Air Force crew chief after a joint training flight at Morris Air National Guard Base, Tucson, Arizona, Feb. 15, 2026.

Massachusetts Guard Leaders Join Kenyan Partners at African Land Forces Summit
March 31, 2026 — ROME – Senior leaders from the Massachusetts National Guard attended the African Land Forces Summit, or ALFS, in Rome, Italy, March 23-24, alongside senior leaders of the Kenya Defence Forces, marking... MORE

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe, the adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard, right, and Kenyan Defence Forces, or KDF, Lt. Gen. David Ketter, the commander of the Kenyan Army, shake hands during the African Land Forces Summit in Rome, Italy, March 23, 2026.

Nebraska National Guard and Tanzania Formalize State Partnership
March 27, 2026 — DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – In a move that significantly expands U.S. security cooperation in East Africa, military leaders from the Nebraska National Guard and the Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Forces... MORE

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Craig Strong, left, Nebraska’s adjutant general, and Gen. Jacob John Mkunda, chief of defense forces for the Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Forces, sign a formal letter of intent in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, March 12, 2026.

Nebraska Guard, Tanzania Test Medical Readiness During Justified Accord 2026
March 27, 2026 — DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – Nebraska Air National Guard personnel and U.S. Army military medical professionals tested the Medical Currency Application for Readiness Tracking 2.0, a digital,... MORE

U.S. Air Force Maj. Daniel Cybulski, an infectious disease physician with the Center for Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills Omaha, U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, consults with Tanzania People’s Defence Force medical personnel during patient consultations as part of a medical readiness exercise during Justified Accord 2026 at Msata Military Training Base in Msata, Tanzania, March 9, 2026.

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.

Minnesota Guard Strengthens Partnership, Trains in Norway’s Arctic Environment
March 5, 2026 — TRØNDELAG, Norway – One hundred Soldiers and Airmen from the Minnesota National Guard traveled to Norway for the 53rd Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange, or NOREX, an annual exchange that strengthens... MORE

After spending three nights at base camps near Haltdalen, Norway, members of NOREX 53 complete the ski march up the mountain on Feb. 9, 2026.

New Hampshire Air Guard Officer Awarded Bronze Star

Louisiana National Guard Supports Festival Security Operations

Indiana Guard Soldiers Score Well at Regional Competition

Guardsmen Support US Secret Service in Shooting at National Mall

Maryland Guard Strengthens Preparedness in Search-and-Rescue Exercise