Guard News - The National Guard

Montana Guard Improves Rescue Ability With New Hoist System
July 30, 2026 — HELENA, Mont. – Montana National Guard Soldiers recently completed instructor certification on a new hoist rescue capability that enhances stability during helicopter rescue operations and improves... MORE

Staff Sgt. Randy Scales, readiness noncommissioned officer, assigned to C Company, 1st Battalion, 189th General Support Aviation Battalion, Montana Army National Guard, rides with a litter during VITA Rescue System training at Fort Harrison, Montana, July 29, 2026.

Pennsylvania Guardsmen Strengthen Engineering Skills, Preserve Redwoods
July 30, 2026 — ORICK, Calif. – Pennsylvania Air National Guardsmen partnered with the National Park Service through the Department of War’s Innovative Readiness Training program this summer to complete construction... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 201st Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, Pennsylvania Air National Guard, install reinforcement plates on roof trusses at Redwood National and State Parks near Orick, California, July 14, 2026.

Washington Guard Advances Counter-Drone Capabilities
July 30, 2026 — CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – With unmanned aircraft systems continuing to evolve as a threat to military installations, critical infrastructure and public events, the Washington National Guard has taken a... MORE

Staff Sgt. Kevin Propes, Survey Team Member, 10th Civil Support Team, Washington National Guard, talks with representatives from Anduril Industries during a new technology fielding of an advanced counter-unmanned aircraft systems.

New York Air Guard Centralizes Recruiting With New Squadron
July 30, 2026 — LATHAM, N.Y. – The New York Air National Guard activated its first Recruiting and Retention Squadron during a July 29 ceremony at New York Air National Guard headquarters, creating a centralized... MORE

Army Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of the New York National Guard, passes the guidon of the New York Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention Squadron to Maj. Josh Bowers, the new squadron's commander during the squadron activation ceremony held at the New York National Guard headquarters in Latham, N.Y., July 29, 2026.

Minnesota Guardsman Uses Training to Save Life
July 30, 2026 — ISANTI, Minn. – What began as an ordinary day at a construction site this spring quickly turned into a lifesaving effort for U.S. Army Spc. Ryan Boecker, an infantryman assigned to the Minnesota... MORE

U.S. Army Spc. Boecker, an infantryman assigned to the Minnesota National Guard's Moorhead-based 2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 136th Infantry Regiment, stands for a photo in Elk River, Minnesota, July 11, 2026.

Virginia Guardsmen Strengthen Engineering Skills in Mongolia
July 29, 2026 — ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia – Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Powhatan-based 1033rd Engineer Support Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group recently supported a... MORE

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Powhatan-based 1033rd Engineer Support Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group support a multi-national exercise in Mongolia during the unit’s annual training.

Arkansas Guard Airman Graduates With Perfect Score From Technical School
July 29, 2026 — EBBING AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ark. – An Arkansas National Guard Airman made history by becoming the first to graduate with a perfect score on the Apprentice Electronic Signals Intelligence Analyst... MORE

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Ty Bishop, an Arkansas National Guard 123rd Intelligence Squadron Signals Intelligence analyst serving in the 188th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, graduated with a perfect score from the 1N2X1 technical training at Goodfellow Air Force Base, San Angelo, Texas, July 10, 2026.

West Virginia, Connecticut Guardsmen Support Scouting’s National Jamboree
July 29, 2026 — GLEN JEAN, W.Va. – National Guardsmen from West Virginia and Connecticut are working closely with local organizations and Scouting America to ensure one of the country’s largest youth events runs... MORE

West Virginia and Connecticut National Guard Soldiers help load 2,500 hygiene kits assembled at Scouting America's 2026 National Jamboree by Scouts and Jamboree volunteers as well as nearly 2,500 cleaning bucket kits to be delivered to the Weston and Buckhannon Disaster Relief centers.

Alaska National Guardsmen Rescue Nine People in Four Days
July 29, 2026 — JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – Alaska Air National Guard rescue personnel assigned to the 176th Wing and Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to the 207th Aviation Troop Command... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Allenmikel Armstrong, 212th Rescue Squadron pararescueman, hoists from a HH-60W Jolly Green II during the Arctic Thunder Open House 26 full-scale exercise on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, June 17, 2026.

New York Guard Showcases Polar Airlift Mission
July 28, 2026 — OSHKOSH, Wis. – The New York Air Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing joined more than 10,000 aircraft and hundreds of thousands of aviation enthusiasts last week at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the world’s largest... MORE

Crew and Aircraft from the 109th Airlift Wing attend EAA Airventure Airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 2026.

Pennsylvania Guard Soldiers Aid Motorist After Rollover Crash
July 28, 2026 — RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas – Three Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers, 252nd Engineer Company assigned to the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Joint Task Force–Southern Border, or JTF-SB, in... MORE

U.S. Army Soldiers with the 252nd Engineer Company, assigned to the 130th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border, or JTF-SB, in support of Operation Ardent Vanguard, pose for a photo in Rio Grande Valley, Texas, July 9, 2026, after assisting a driver following a single-vehicle rollover during a routine patrol.

Massachusetts Guard Flight Medics Strengthen Skills
July 27, 2026 — BEDFORD, Mass. – Soldiers from the Massachusetts National Guard’s Detachment 1, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, General Support Aviation Battalion, recently spent two weeks training... MORE

Sgt. 1st Class Jose Morales, left, and Sgt. Stephannie LaCasse, both flight medics with the Massachusetts National Guard Detachment 1, C Company, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, General Support Aviation Battalion, use an artificial manual breathing unit on a medical simulation mannequin in the Boston MedFlight simulation training center at their Bedford, Massachusetts headquarters, July 17, 2026.

Air Guardsmen Strengthen Emergency Response in Exercise Serow Samurai
July 27, 2026 — MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan – Emergency management Airmen from five Air National Guard units completed Exercise Serow Samurai, a seven-day deployment for training at Misawa Air Base, Japan, focused on... MORE

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Daniel Saldivar, the alternate emergency manager and noncommissioned officer in charge of the Emergency Management Flight assigned to the 151st Wing, Utah Air National Guard, uses a Joint Chemical Agent Detector to assess a potential hazard during Exercise Serow Samurai at Misawa Air Base, Japan, July 20, 2026.

37th Infantry Brigade Team Leads the Way in First Army National Guard Combat Readiness Exercise
July 27, 2026 — GRAYLING, Mich. – More than 3,000 U.S. and partner-nation service members participated in the first Army National Guard Combat Readiness Exercise, testing the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in a... MORE

From left, Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Stubbs, director of the Army National Guard, and Col. Jonathan M. Stewart, assistant adjutant general for Army for the Ohio National Guard, listens to a brief from Command Sgt. Maj. Matthew Strausbaugh, 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment command sergeant major, during a visit, as part of Combat Readiness Exercise, or CRX, 26-01 at Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in Grayling, Michigan, July 21, 2026.

Wisconsin Guard Helps Return WWII Plane Section
July 24, 2026 — MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin National Guard has helped return a recovered section of a P-38 Lightning aircraft more than 80 years after Wisconsin native and World War II fighter ace Maj. Richard I... MORE

A fragment of a World War II P‑38 Lightning aircraft is displayed at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 23, 2026.

National Guard Supports Wildfire Suppression Efforts From the Midwest to West Coast
July 24, 2026 — ARLINGTON, Va. – National Guard units from across the country are supporting wildfire suppression operations in multiple states, providing aerial firefighting aircraft, helicopters and personnel to... MORE

A U.S. Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter assigned to the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade transports water in a water bucket over wildfires in Northern Minnesota, July 15, 2026.

Puerto Rico Guard Airmen Build Force Support Readiness
July 24, 2026 — JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Airmen from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard’s 156th Force Support Squadron joined nearly 100 force support professionals from four Air National Guard units... MORE

U.S. Airmen with the Air National Guard assigned to force support squadrons from Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Puerto Rico, assemble a tent during the fiscal year 2026 Home Station Readiness Training at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, June 17, 2026.

National Guard Awards Contract to Support Mobilized DC Troops
July 23, 2026 — ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Guard Bureau, in partnership with the District of Columbia National Guard and the U.S. General Services Administration, awarded a $292 million task order to Placemakr... MORE

U.S. National Guardsmen with the Michigan National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force – District of Columbia, in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, patrol the National Mall in Washington, July 12, 2026.

Missouri Guard Hosts Panama Leaders, Strengthens Partnership
July 23, 2026 — JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Leaders from the Missouri National Guard welcomed José Miguel Alemán Healy, Panama’s ambassador to the United States, and Commissioner Edgar Pitti Valdés, the defense and... MORE

Missouri National Guard leaders welcomed José Miguel Alemán Healy, Panama’s ambassador to the United States, and Commissioner Edgar Pitti Valdés, defense and security attaché to the Embassy of Panama, during an official visit to the Missouri Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City, Missouri, on July 15, 2026.

West Virginia Guard Activated to Assist With Flood Response
July 23, 2026 — CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia National Guard, under the direction of Gov. Patrick Morrisey, was activated July 21 to provide support to communities impacted by severe flooding across the... MORE

Members of the West Virginia National Guard Swift Water Rescue Team load their boat into floodwaters in north central West Virginia, the night of July 21, 2026.