Guard News - The National Guard

Modular Airborne System Delivers One Million Gallons of Fire Retardant
September 2, 2026 — RENO, Nev. – Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS, crews have surpassed 1 million gallons of fire retardant delivered during the 2026 wildfire season, marking a milestone in a joint...

Montana Guard Chinook Crew Returns From Washington Wildfire Mission
August 25, 2026 — HELENA, Mont. — A Montana Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook crew returned home Aug. 24 after helping battle wildfires in Washington, delivering nearly 178,000 gallons of water during more than 40...

Nevada Guard Wraps up Wildfire Response, Air Guard Joins Fight
August 21, 2026 — RENO, Nev. — More than 13,000 residents evacuated communities north of Reno as three wildfires threatened thousands of homes, prompting the Nevada National Guard to deploy helicopters, security forces...

Washington Guardsman Supports Wildfire Recovery at Home
August 17, 2026 — SPOKANE, Wash. – As wildfires spread across Spokane and Stevens counties Aug. 1, threatening homes and forcing residents to evacuate, Washington Army National Guard Sgt. Keegan Tarbell watched the...

National Guard Members Continue LA Wildfire Response
January 21, 2025 — LOS ANGELES – U.S. Army Sgt. Ricardo Hernandez watched from a cross street as sporadic traffic passed on the Pacific Coast Highway near Pacific Palisades. The late afternoon sun glinted off his...

California, Nevada, Wyoming Guard Join Firefighting Battle
January 10, 2025 — MOFFETT AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Calif. - Hundreds of National Guard members are now involved in multiple air and ground firefighting efforts as wildfires rage across the Los Angeles Basin and...

New York Army National Guard Aviators Help Control Wildfire
November 26, 2024 — GREENWOOD LAKE, N.Y. - New York Army National Guard aviators dropped 550,160 gallons of water on the 5,200-acre Jennings Creek fire Nov. 11-20 as state and local firefighters fought the Orange County...

Tennessee Guardsmen Help Battle East Tennessee Wildfires
August 29, 2024 — KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee National Guard battled wildfires from the air in Great Smoky Mountains National Park this week.At the request of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the...

National Guard Ready for Potential Record-Breaking Wildfire, Hurricane Season
May 31, 2024 — ARLINGTON, Va. — With 2024 projected as one of the hottest years on record, climate scientists have noted a heightened risk of hurricanes and wildfires, but National Guard officials said the Guard is...

Texas Air Guard Deploys MQ-9 to Help Fight Wildfires
April 9, 2024 — HOUSTON - The Texas Air National Guard deployed an uncrewed aerial system in March to help the Texas Department of Emergency Management and local fire departments combat fires that engulfed the...

West Virginia Guard Fighting Wildfires From the Air
March 22, 2024 — CHARLESTON, W. Va. - Two West Virginia National Guard UH60M and HH60M Black Hawk helicopters and personnel helped the West Virginia Division of Forestry and local government and emergency management...

South Carolina Guard Comes to Aid of Partner Colombia
February 14, 2024 — COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina National Guard is assisting Colombia, its State Partnership Program partner, in dealing with dozens of wildfires. To help emergency responders battle as many as 30...

Washington Army Guard to get new Firefighting Unit
September 28, 2023 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - Beginning next fiscal year, the Washington Army National Guard will have a new unit primarily focused on firefighting. “The addition of engineer firefighting teams will provide...

National Guard, DOD Support Hawaii's Long-term Recovery
September 5, 2023 — WASHINGTON - Defense Department personnel remain ready to support Maui residents for the foreseeable future as local officials plot a course for recovery from the Lahaina wildfire, the Hawaii National...

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...

Florida National Guard Activated to Assist With Hurricane Response
August 30, 2023 — WASHINGTON - Some 6,500 Florida National Guard members were supporting the response to Hurricane Idalia Wednesday, focused on search and rescue, clearing roads of debris and assessing damage caused by...

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...

Alaska National Guard Firefighters Protect Nenana From Wildfires
August 22, 2023 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - In May 1920, the Alaska town of Nenana, nestled on the bank of the river of the same name in Alaska’s Interior, suffered great loss of life from the H1N1...

Defense Department Mobilizes to Respond to Hawaii Wildfires
August 11, 2023 — WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will continue to work closely with state and local officials to protect lives and battle the destructive wildfires that have swept through the Hawaiian island of...

Alaska National Guard Helps Battle Wildland Fires
August 8, 2023 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - Thirteen members of the Alaska National Guard deployed to Interior Alaska to help fight wildfires across the region.Eight 207th Aviation Troop Command...

Three Components, One Army: LaNeve Stresses Guard’s Role in Army’s New Priorities

Pennsylvania Guardsmen Demonstrate Drone Innovation Project

Nordhaus, Raines Outline a National Guard Focused on the Future

Alaska Air National Guard Rescues Four From Plane Crash

Modular Airborne System Delivers One Million Gallons of Fire Retardant