Guard News - The National Guard

Guard Leaders Stress NCOs Role in State Partnership Program
May 3, 2024 — LAS VEGAS – Developing NCOs has long been a strategy in the U.S. military to build capability and maintain readiness by providing the education and training required to operate in complex... MORE

Chief Master Sgt. Mikael Sundin, senior enlisted advisor to the director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, talks about security cooperation and NCO development during the State Partnership Program Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 17, 2024.

Hokanson: Nation’s Investment in National Guard Comes at Pivotal Moment
May 2, 2024 — WASHINGTON – The National Guard is a dynamic operational force integral to the National Defense Strategy, the Guard’s most senior officer told lawmakers April 30, emphasizing that sustained mission... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, talks with Soldiers of the Alabama National Guard's 115th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, Fort McClellan, Alabama, April 20, 2024.

Guard Chief Visits Pennsylvania Guard, Aviation Training Site
April 23, 2024 — FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, met with Pennsylvania National Guard leaders and members of the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, met with Pennsylvania National Guard leaders and members of the Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site during a visit to Fort Indiantown Gap April 22, 2024.

National Guard Leaders Visit Troops Deployed in Middle East
March 27, 2024 — KUWAIT - The National Guard’s most senior officer and enlisted leader visited Guardsmen deployed across the Middle East in support of Operations Inherent Resolve and Spartan Shield March... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, right, chief, National Guard Bureau, and SEA Tony Whitehead, senior enlisted advisor to the CNGB, visit National Guardsmen deployed in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility March 15, 2024.

Guard Bureau Chief Sees Innovation, Tech Converge in Texas
March 12, 2024 — AUSTIN – Innovation and emerging technology underscored the National Guard’s senior-most officer’s visit to Texas on March 9-10.Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, met with Texas... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, joins the South by Southwest Conference, Austin, Texas, March 9-10, 2024. Hokanson engaged with entrepreneurs, small business owners and innovators about new concepts that could benefit the Guard and the Joint Force.

National Guard Chief Presents Silver Star to Vietnam Veteran
March 8, 2024 — WAYNE, Pa. – Nearly 57 years after rescuing more than 80 U.S. and South Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War, retired Army Capt. Larry Liss received the Silver Star medal.Liss originally... MORE

Gen. Daniel Hokanson, left, chief of the National Guard Bureau, presents retired Army Capt. Larry Liss with a Silver Star citation during a ceremony March 5, 2024, at Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pa. Liss received the medal, an upgrade from a Distinguished Flying Cross, for rescuing more than 80 U.S. and South Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War.

Hokanson Announces new State Partnership Program Nations
March 7, 2024 — WASHINGTON – A program that pairs the National Guard in the states and territories with foreign allies and partners is set to grow by several nations this year, the National Guard’s top officer... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, meets with members of the Swedish Armed Forces in Boden, Sweden, Oct. 17, 2023. Hokanson visited Sweden as part of a larger Northern European itinerary for talks with defense officials to deepen bilateral ties between the National Guard and Sweden.

New Army National Guard General Officer Reflects on Career
March 5, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. - At the command “attention to orders,” Robin Hoeflein steadfastly assumed the position of attention — shoulders squared, head and eyes facing directly ahead, fingers curled against... MORE

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Robin Hoeflein, vice director of the Operations Directorate at the National Guard Bureau, looks on as her husband, Ray, affixes her rank to her uniform during a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Virginia, where she was promoted to her current rank Feb. 29, 2024.

Hokanson at BEYA STEM Conference: Become everything you are in the National Guard
February 17, 2024 — BALTIMORE – Science, technology, engineering and mathematics will be the foundations for solving today’s and tomorrow’s problems, the National Guard’s top officer told an audience of students, cadets,... MORE

From left, Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony Whitehead, SEA to the chief, National Guard Bureau; Sgt. Maj. Alan Thomas, operations sergeant major, Indiana National Guard; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Regina Carrell, a senior strategic intelligence analyst at the National Guard Bureau, and Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, at the Black Engineer of the Year Award Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Stars and Stripes dinner and reception, Baltimore, Maryland, Feb. 16, 2024. The National Guard Bureau was the featured military organization of the 2024 Stars and Stripes event.

National Guard Bureau Leaders Say Taking Care of Guardsmen Key to Meeting Mission at Home, Abroad
February 9, 2024 — WASHINGTON - Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said that as the global security landscape has become increasingly complex, the National Guard continues to fill its role... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, meets with Arkansas Guardsmen assigned to Task Force Bowie, 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, on rotation overseeing training with the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine, Grafenwoehr, Germany, Oct. 21, 2023.

Guard Chief Hokanson Talks Security Cooperation in Ireland
January 22, 2024 — DUBLIN – The National Guard’s top general met with Irish Defence Forces and government leaders last week to discuss the potential for security cooperation engagements between the Republic of Ireland... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, center, meets with Lt. Gen. Sean Clancy, the Irish Defense Forces chief of staff, Dublin, Ireland, Jan. 16, 2024.

Hokanson Visits Guardsmen Safeguarding Las Vegas New Year’s Eve Celebration
January 2, 2024 — LAS VEGAS – Amid throngs of people ringing in the New Year, the National Guard’s senior officer met with Nevada National Guardsmen on duty to safeguard “America’s Party” — one of the largest New... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, meets with Nevada National Guardsmen supporting local and federal agencies to ensure the safety and security of the New Year’s Eve celebration in Las Vegas Dec. 31, 2023. The cooperative New Year’s mission is led by Clark County Emergency Management and supported by the Nevada National Guard with local and federal law enforcement agencies.

Nevada National Guard Safeguards ‘America's Party’
January 2, 2024 — LAS VEGAS – The Nevada National Guard completed its 24th year supporting first responders during Las Vegas’ annual New Year’s Eve celebration, ”America's Party,” which attracted over 300,000... MORE

Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry, the adjutant general of the Nevada National Guard, visit local law enforcement and the 92nd Civil Support Team in Las Vegas Dec. 30, 2023. (Tonal adjustments were used to enhance subjects)

Anniversary of ‘Sandy River Rescue Mission’ Befits National Guard Birthday
December 13, 2023 — WASHINGTON - On the National Guard’s 387th birthday, another milestone anniversary represents the impact the Guard has in more than 2,600 communities across the country.Twenty years ago, on the... MORE

Members of the Oregon Army National Guard’s 1042nd Medical Company, Lt. Col Dan Hokanson, pilot in charge, crew chiefs Staff Sgt. Mark Braeme and Sgt. Rob Armstrong, and Capt. Bryan Houston, pilot, pose in front of a Black Hawk helicopter Dec. 15, 2003. The crew, including Staff Sgt. Travis Powell, flight medic, were credited with saving the lives of two kayakers on Oregon’s Sandy River following an over-water air rescue during a winter storm and rising flood waters.

First Lady Welcomes National Guard Families to White House
December 1, 2023 — WASHINGTON - For the second straight year, first lady Jill Biden welcomed National Guardsmen, spouses and children to the White House to discuss their challenges and how best to support them.The first... MORE

First lady Jill Biden welcomes National Guard senior leaders and family members for a roundtable discussion on support for National Guard children in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington Nov. 27, 2023. Attendees, including Guard children, and adjutants general, also joined the first lady’s presentation of the 2023 White House “Magic, Wonder & Joy” holiday theme and decorations.

National Guard’s Heritage Honored at Storied Army Base
November 7, 2023 — ARLINGTON, Va. – In a hallowed corner of Patton Hall at Northern Virginia’s Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, a journey through the annals of American military history awaits. An officer’s saber from... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, left, chief of the National Guard Bureau, chats with Air Force Maj. Gen. John P. Hronek, the adjutant general of the Montana National Guard, during the opening ceremony at The 1636 Room at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall’s Patton Hall in Arlington, Virginia, Nov. 1, 2023. Named in recognition of the first organized militia in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636 – the predecessor of today’s National Guard – the exhibit space runs the gamut of strategically placed artifacts, framed flags, panel displays, photographs, visual arts and replicated items.

National Guard Unveils Senior Enlisted Advisor Positional Colors
November 2, 2023 — JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. – Almost 150 people from all service components, including National Guard leaders from all 50 states and four territories, gathered in Patton Hall to witness a... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, presents the positional colors to Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony Whitehead at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., Nov. 1, 2023. This marks the first time a senior enlisted advisor to the National Guard chief is recognized with such colors, a milestone in a tradition that dates to 1636.

In Finland, Hokanson Sees a Country’s Cold Will to Defend Itself
October 19, 2023 — HELSINKI – The National Guard’s top officer recently visited Finland as part of a larger Northern European itinerary to strengthen the Guard’s security cooperation ties in the region.The Guard has... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, and Lt. Gen. Vesa Virtanen, chief of Defense Command, Finnish Defense Forces, meet with Col. Mika Rytkonen, commander of Finland’s South-Eastern Border Guard District, near Vaalimaa, Finland, Oct. 13, 2023. Hokanson visited Finland to enhance bilateral ties between the National Guard and Finland.

Guard Team Awarded 3rd Consecutive Services Cup Cyber Trophy
October 5, 2023 — ARLINGTON, Va. - A National Guard team received the 2022 SANS NetWars Department of Defense Services Cup from Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, marking the third... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, meets with the National Guard cyber team that won the 2022 SANS NetWars Department of Defense Services Cup cybersecurity competition at the Pentagon Sept. 22, 2023. Teams from all service branches took part in the two-day competition, with the Guard team taking top honors for the third consecutive year.

Hokanson: Panama a Global Crossroads, Key Security Cooperation Partner
September 19, 2023 — PANAMA CITY, Panama – The Republic of Panama is a bridge that connects the Americas. Its renowned canal is one of the most strategic waterways in the world. It also is a key security cooperation... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, left, chief, National Guard Bureau, meets with Panama Minister of Public Security Juan Manuel Pino Forero at the Ministry of Public Security, Panama City, Panama, Aug. 28, 2023. Panama and the Missouri National Guard have been paired in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program since 1996.

West Virginia’s 167th Wing Conducts Readiness Exercise

New York Army Guard Hosts Regional Best Warrior Competition

Alaska Guard Helps Provide Free Health Care to Kodiak Residents

Wisconsin Soldier, Arkansas Team Win Small Arms Championship

Air National Guard Chaplains Convene for Annual Symposium