Guard News - The National Guard

Georgia 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team Conducts Annual Training
June 11, 2024 — FORT STEWART, Ga. - For the Soldiers of the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, the early June movement to Fort Stewart for annual training was a different experience. In... MORE

A Georgia Army National Guard Soldier assigned to Headquarters Company, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, fires an M4 carbine rifle for annual qualification on a training range in Fort Stewart, Ga., June 5, 2024.

Connecticut Guard Deploys Cloud-Based Radar/Radio Connection
May 17, 2024 — SAVANNAH, Ga. - Airmen from the 103rd Air Control Squadron, Connecticut Air National Guard, became the first National Guard unit to deploy and execute a cloud-based radar and radio connection of the... MORE

U.S. Air Force cyber operators and maintainers with the 103rd Air Control Squadron, Connecticut Air National Guard, unload a Tactical Operations System-Lite kit from a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, Georgia Army National Guard, at Townsend Bombing Range, Georgia, May 15, 2024. As part of exercise Sentry Savannah, the 103rd ACS was the first National Guard unit to deploy and establish a cloud-based radar and radio connection from an austere, remote location using the TOC-L.

Georgia Army Guard Joins DEFENDER 24 Exercise in Sweden
May 8, 2024 — SKILLINGARYD, Sweden - This year’s DEFENDER 24 exercise emphasizes the significant partnership between the United States and Sweden, NATO’s newest member, with the Georgia Army National Guard putting... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Crandale Jackson, a cannon crewmember assigned to Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 214th Field Artillery Regiment, 648th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Georgia Army National Guard, speaks to Swedish Military Police during DEFENDER 24 in Skillingaryd, Sweden, May 5, 2024. DEFENDER 24 is the Dynamic Employment of Forces to Europe for NATO Deterrence and Enhanced Readiness, and is a U.S. European Command scheduled, U.S. Army Europe and Africa conducted exercises that consist of Saber Strike, Immediate Response and Swift Response.

New York Army Guard Soldiers Heading to North Africa
April 30, 2024 — LATHAM, N.Y. - Seven hundred New York Army National Guard Soldiers will take part in the multinational African Lion training exercise in Tunisia and Morocco in May.Most of the New York National Guard... MORE

African Lion provides an opportunity to conduct realistic, dynamic and collaborative readiness training in an austere environment that intersects multiple geographic and functional combatant commands, including U.S. Africa Command, U.S. European Command, and U.S. Central Command, and strategic maritime choke points and global shipping lanes.

Georgia Guard Provides Airborne Safety Training
April 29, 2024 — SAVANNAH, Ga. –The Georgia Army National Guard Safety Office hosted its 10th annual Joint Parachute Operations Mishap Preventative Orientation Course Enhanced (POMPOC-E) April 17 - 26 at the Air... MORE

A U.S. Army Soldier conducts a free fall airborne jump out of a C-130 Hercules cargo plane during the Joint Parachute Operational Mishap Preventative Orientation Course Enhanced (POMPOC-E) April 25, 2024, at the Plantation Airpark, Sylvania, Georgia.

Kentucky, Tennessee Win Regional Best Warrior Competition
April 23, 2024 — GREENVILLE, Ky. – Soldiers from Kentucky and Tennessee earned top honors in the 2024 Army National Guard Region III Best Warrior Competition April 14-19.Hosted by the Kentucky National Guard, the... MORE

Tennessee National Guard Spc. Noah Green, left, and U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Buck with the Kentucky National Guard won the 2024 Region III Best Warrior Competition at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Kentucky, April 19, 2024. Nineteen competitors from 10 states and territories competed for the titles of Soldier and NCO of the Year for Region III.

Georgian Defense Force Joins Georgia Best Warrior Competition
March 14, 2024 — RINGGOLD, Ga. - The annual Georgia Army National Guard State Best Warrior Competition offered a twist this year, with Georgian Defense Force soldiers competing against Georgia Army National Guardsmen... MORE

Georgia Defense Force Junior Sergeant Paata Sabiashvili, front left, an infantryman representing the 1st Infantry Brigade; Georgia Defense Force Corporal-Specialist Irakli Nozadze, front right, a cannon crewmember representing the 5th Artillery Brigade; 1st Sgt. Sergo Kandelaki, back left, executive assistant to the Georgia Defense Force Command Sergeant Major, Georgia Defense Force General Staff; and Staff Sgt. Michael Tenoshcok, back right, Joint Operation Center noncommissioned officer, Joint Force Headquarters, Georgia National Guard; pose for a photo during the 2024 Georgia Army National Guard State Best Warrior Competition at the Catoosa Volunteer Training Site, Ringgold, Georgia, March 12, 2024.

Georgia Guard Unit to Document US Central Command Operations
January 8, 2024 — MARIETTA, Ga. - A Georgia National Guard unit is heading to the Middle East to document history on behalf of the U.S. Army.The Marietta-based 161st Military History Detachment held a ceremony Jan. 7... MORE

Capt. Richard Hughes and Sgt. Tianna Wilson, commander and noncommissioned officer in charge of the 161st Military History Detachment, respectively, case the unit guidon during the unit's deployment ceremony at Clay National Guard Center, Marietta, Georgia, Jan. 7, 2024. The unit will head to the Middle East to collect the history of the U.S. Army Central Command in the area.

Georgia National Guardsmen Return from Overseas Mission
December 4, 2023 — MARIETTA, Ga. - More than 80 Soldiers of the Georgia National Guard’s 201st Regional Support Group Forward returned home Dec. 1 after a nearly year-long deployment to Europe. Soldiers and family... MORE

Col. Matthew Kukla and Command Sgt. Major Lafayette Deal, command team of the Georgia National Guard’s 201st Regional Support Group (Forward), uncase the unit colors during a welcome home ceremony at the Clay National Guard Center in Marietta, Ga., Dec. 1 following a 10-month deployment to Europe.

Georgia National Guardsmen Prepare for Deployment
October 23, 2023 — MARIETTA, Ga. - After months of training and planning by key leaders and staff, the Georgia Army National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is completing readiness requirements before... MORE

A medic attends to a Georgia Army National Guard Soldier during readiness processing at Fort Stewart, Ga., Oct. 20, 2023.

Georgia Guard Joins Multinational Exercise Agile Spirit
August 21, 2023 — KRTSANISI, Georgia - Georgia National Guardsmen departed Clay National Guard Center in August for the country of Georgia to participate in the biennial, multinational exercise known as Agile... MORE

The Georgia Army National Guard is participating in Exercise Agile Spirit 23 in the country of Georgia, its partner in the State Partnership Program, Aug. 21-Sept. 1, 2023. The exercise supports theater security cooperation and interoperability among NATO allies and partners.

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.

Georgia Guardsman Promoted, Family Service Honored
May 22, 2023 — MARIETTA, Ga. - Maj. Alejandro V. Pascual IV was promoted to lieutenant colonel at the Clay National Guard Center May 21 in a ceremony that also honored the Pascual family’s history of military... MORE

Lt. Col. Alejandro Pascual IV stands before a display he built to honor the World War II service of his great grandfather , Tech. Sgt. Isabelo Viernes, who served with the 45th Infantry Regiment and survived the Bataan Death March.

Tennessee, Georgia Guardsmen are Southeast’s Best Warriors
April 24, 2023 — FORT STEWART, Ga. - Tennessee and Georgia Guardsmen were named the Army National Guard’s best warriors in the Southeast after a grueling, week-long competition April 16-21.U.S. Army Spc. Jackson... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. Nicolas White, an indirect fire infantryman representing the Georgia Army National Guard, splashes water on his face after completing the confidence course during the Region III National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Fort Stewart, Ga., April 17, 2023. The competition tested the adaptiveness and lethality of our forces.

Soldiers Train at Virginia Guard Funeral Honors Program
March 24, 2023 — VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Ten National Guard Soldiers from seven states participated in Military Funeral Honors Level 2 training at the State Military Reservation Feb. 26-March 11.Soldiers from Alabama,... MORE

Ten National Guard Soldiers from seven states participate in Military Funeral Honors Level 2 training March 3, 2023, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Soldiers from Alabama, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, South Carolina and Virginia participated in the two week-long course, hosted by the Virginia National Guard Funeral Honors Program.

Guard Soldier Featured in Army ‘Be All You Can Be’ Campaign
March 15, 2023 — ARLINGTON, Va. – Many military members consider their service life-changing, but for 1st Sgt. John Melson, it was lifesaving — literally. After doctors at Melson’s military entrance screening... MORE

First Sgt. John Melson, then a Sgt. 1st Class and member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, was presented the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device for valor at Fort Benning, Ga., Aug. 23, 2013, for his actions in 2009 while fighting off a Taliban ambush in Gerani, Afghanistan. Melson, now a member of the Georgia National Guard, is featured in the new U.S. Army recruiting campaign commercials.

Georgia National Guard Women Compete to be Best Warrior
March 8, 2023 — FORT STEWART, Ga. – Eighteen National Guardsmen compete in the Georgia Army National Guard 2023 Best Warrior Competition March 5-10 to determine the state’s best Soldier and noncommissioned... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Mary Ruiz, an aviation operations specialist representing the 78th Aviation Troop Command, crawls under barbed wire during the obstacle course portion of the 2023 Georgia National Guard State Best Warrior Competition at Fort Stewart, Georgia, March 6, 2023. The competition tested readiness and adaptiveness of Georgia's best Soldiers.

Georgia Infantry Battalion Combines Arms to Certify Platoons
March 6, 2023 — FORT STEWART, Ga. - As the weather warms, the Georgia Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment Soldiers are conducting combined arms live-fire training over an extended drill... MORE

Soldiers from the Georgia Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, and 177th Brigade Engineer Battalion conduct a combined arms live-fire exercise in Fort Stewart, Ga., March 4, 2023. The exercise validated six infantry platoons and allowed the battalion to test its warfighting functions.

Georgia Guard Embarks on 1st Stage of Overseas Deployment
February 14, 2023 — MARIETTA, Ga. – The Georgia National Guard continued its two-decade history of continuous global engagement Feb. 13 with a departure ceremony for the 201st Regional Support Group. The Soldiers will... MORE

Brig. Gen. Dwayne Wilson, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard, addresses Soldiers of the 201st Regional Support Group at a departure ceremony at the Clay National Guard Center Feb. 13, 2023. The Soldiers will train stateside before embarking on their overseas mission.

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.

Iowa Air Guard’s 132nd Security Forces Squadron Conducts Annual Training in Hawaii

Wisconsin Air Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing Partners With UW Health for Medical Airmen Training

Connecticut Army Guard Partners With Coast Guard to Dislodge Beached Buoy

Minnesota Guard Among First to Field Army’s Newest M250 Automatic Rifle

Soldier’s Medal Awarded to Georgia Guardsman Who Pulled Driver From Burning SUV