Guard News - The National Guard

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.

Washington Guard Leads Multi-Agency Radiation Response Workshop
April 22, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – The Washington National Guard’s 10th Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction) hosted a multi-agency Radiation Response Workshop April 3, bringing together federal, state... MORE

Maj. Jaymar Imperial, Operations Officer, 10th Civil Support Team gives a briefing during a multi-agency Radiation Response Workshop, April 3, 2026 at Camp Murray, Wash.

California Guard Conducts Training Ahead of Wildfire Season
April 22, 2026 — McCLELLAN AIR TANKER STATION, SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Airmen with the 146th Airlift Wing began their annual Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, or MAFFS, recertification and training April 20, in... MORE

Airmen from the 146th Airlift Wing, 152nd Airlift Wing and the 302nd Airlift Wing train alongside CAL FIRE ground crews during their annual Modular Airborne Firefighting System, or MAFFS, recertification training at McClellan Air Tanker Base, Sacramento, Calif., April 20, 2026.

US, Philippine Airmen Strengthen Partnership in Cope Thunder
April 22, 2026 — CLARK AIR BASE, Philippines – U.S. Pacific Air Forces and Philippine Air Force members participated April 6-17 in Exercise Cope Thunder 26-1, aimed at strengthening partnerships and supporting the... MORE

Exercise Cope Thunder 26-1 participants pose for a group photo after the opening ceremony at Clark Air Base, Philippines, April 6, 2026.

Oklahoma Guard Hosts Exercise Lightning Strike
April 22, 2026 — MUSKOGEE, Okla. – The Oklahoma National Guard, in partnership with the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management, recently hosted Exercise Lightning Strike, a domestic training exercise using drones to... MORE

Two Oklahoma National Guardsmen replace a drone’s battery during Exercise Lightning Strike at Camp Gruber Training Center, Oklahoma, April 15, 2026. The Oklahoma National Guard, in partnership with Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management, hosted Exercise Lightning Strike, a domestic exercise scenario of an EF5 tornado. At the center of the exercise is the integration of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) across various scenarios, enabling real-time data sharing, improved situational awareness and more effective coordination among participating agencies. Exercise Lightning Strike brings together a wide range of agencies to operate within a shared framework, reinforcing the Guard’s role in supporting civil authorities during domestic incidents and natural disasters. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Sgt. Anthony Ackah-Mensah)

California Guard Innovation Center Hosts Drone Training
April 21, 2026 — MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. – The California National Guard’s Hap Arnold Innovation Center brought together military, federal and industry partners for a Defense Contract Management Agency Blue... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Charles Rodriguez, Hap Arnold Innovation Center, California Air National Guard, tries on First-Person View goggles for small Unmanned Aerial Systems during a Defense Contract Management Agency, or DCMA, Blue List training event, March Air Reserve Base, Calif., April 14, 2026.

Utah Guard Activates Light Infantry Unit
April 21, 2026 — CAMP WILLIAMS, Utah – The Utah Army National Guard officially activated the 1st Battalion, 204th Infantry Regiment during an April 18 ceremony, marking a milestone for the state and formally ushering... MORE

Utah Guard Lt. Col Steven Pagoaga assumes command of the 1st Battalion, 204th Infantry Regiment, Saturday, April 18, 2026, at Camp Williams.

Guam Guardsmen Assist in Post-Typhoon Sinlaku Recovery
April 21, 2026 — BARRIGADA, Guam – Guam National Guardsmen are supporting recovery efforts and overseeing traffic control after Typhoon Sinlaku’s slow crawl through the Pacific April 13-15 brought substantial damage... MORE

Guam National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Ignacio Cabrera, fire support sergeant, Guam Army National Guard, directs traffic in Maite, Guam, April 18, 2026. Guam National Guardsmen, alongside local law enforcement authorities and first responders, set up traffic control points at various locations experiencing power outages because of damage from Typhoon Sinlaku.

Nordhaus Underscores National Guard’s Indispensable Role
April 17, 2026 — WASHINGTON– In the span of a single year, the men and women of the National Guard conducted precision airstrikes to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, rescued dozens of children from rising Texas... MORE

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, joins reserve component chiefs to testify before the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense during a National Guard and Reserve Forces oversight hearing in Washington, April 17, 2026.

Montana Guard Returns World War II Soldier Home
April 17, 2026 — BERT MOONEY AIRPORT, Mont. – After more than 80 years, a Montana Soldier has returned home.Airmen from the 120th Airlift Wing conducted a solemn C-130H transport mission April 15, bringing the remains... MORE

Soldiers assigned to the Montana Army National Guard Honor Guard carry the casket of Pvt. Henry Bordner from a Lockheed C-130 Hercules to a waiting hearse during a dignified transfer at Bert Mooney Airport in Butte, Mont., April 15, 2026.

Washington Guard Athletes Earn All-Guard Endurance Team Honors
April 17, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Three Citizen-Soldier athletes from the Washington Army National Guard proved their grit and competitive edge on a national stage, earning spots on the All-National Guard... MORE

Capt. Julie Keppner, 122nd Theater Public Affairs Support Element; Maj. Brendan Thompson, Special Operations Detachment–Pacific; and Capt. Eddy Allen, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 56th Theater Information Operations Group show off their medals following the National Guard Endurance Team trials, held as part of the Nebraska DekaFit Road Show at the Nebraska Army Aviation Support Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, April 11, 2026.

Nevada Guard Unit Transitions to Mobile Infantry Battalion
April 17, 2026 — LAS VEGAS – The 1st Battalion, 221st Cavalry, transitioned from a mounted cavalry formation to a mobile infantry battalion during a “Turning Blue” ceremony April 12 at the Clark County Armory.Soldiers... MORE

U.S. Army Soldiers attached to the 1st Battalion, 221st Cavalry, B Company, receive their blue cord during a "Turning Blue" ceremony at the Clark County Armory in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 12, 2026.

Tennessee Guardsmen Provide Aid, Secure Evidence in Shooting
April 17, 2026 — MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Tennessee National Guardsmen with the Memphis Safe Task Force supported the Memphis Police Department while responding to a shooting April 12 in North Memphis, providing immediate... MORE

Soldiers from the Tennessee National Guard’s 190th Combat Engineer Company with the Memphis Safe Task Force, supported the Memphis Police Department while responding to a shooting April 12 in North Memphis, providing immediate medical aid to the victim and securing key evidence.

Wisconsin Guard Conducts Drone Training
April 16, 2026 — ARCADIA, Wis. – Soldiers assigned to the Wisconsin Army National Guard’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operating Facility at Camp Douglas conducted small unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, training at the... MORE

U.S. Soldiers with the Wisconsin Army National Guard conduct a training flight with a Skydio X10D unmanned aircraft system at the Arcadia Armory in Arcadia, Wisconsin, April 1, 2026.

Tennessee Guard Airmen Broaden Communication Skills
April 16, 2026 — McGHEE TYSON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Tenn. – Airmen from the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center’s Cyber Support teamed up with the Tennessee National Guard's 134th Air Refueling Wing’s... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airmen from the I.G. Brown Training and Education Center, Cyber Operations, and 134th Air Refueling Wing, Communications Squadron, prepare a Starlink satellite system to test connectivity, April 9, 2026, McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee.

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 Guard Builds Readiness With New Executive Officer Course
April 15, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – The Washington Army National Guard launched its inaugural Executive Officer Course April 11–12, equipping junior officers with the skills and clarity needed to strengthen... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Austin Haitt, 205th Regional Training Institute, speaks at the Executive Officers Course, April 11, 2026, Camp Murray, Washingto

Maryland Guard Enhances Response With K-9 Medevac Training
April 15, 2026 — EDGEWOOD, Md. – Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers conducted medical evacuation training with two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters assigned to the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade, integrating local law... MORE

Maryland Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Colin Winand, flight paramedic non-commissioned officer for Company C, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, pets a Cecil County Sheriff’s K-9 during a flight onboard a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter above Lauderick Creek Military Reservation, Edgewood, Maryland, April 1, 2026.

Guard Soldiers Help Rescue Three From Rio Grande
April 15, 2026 — LAREDO, Texas – Three illegal aliens were rescued April 1 from the Rio Grande after a vehicle pursuit tied to a suspected human smuggling operation ended in a crash.Multiple illegal aliens entered the... MORE

U.S. Border Patrol agents, Texas state troopers and U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border rescue three illegal aliens attempting to cross the U.S. southern border near Laredo, Texas, April 1, 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.