Arkansas National Guard Air Wing Receives C-130J Aircraft
September 26, 2024
From left, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Noah Polcar, loadmaster, 154th Training Squadron, Maj. Robert Stephenson, pilot, 154th TRS, Maj. Eric Zane, pilot, 154th TRS, Master Sgt. Levi Sortomme, loadmaster, 154th TRS, Staff Sgt. Dakoda Baker, crew chief, 189th Maintenance Group, and Master Sgt. Jacob Shaulis, crew chief, 189th MXG, in front of the second of the first two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft received by the 189th AW after initial arrival at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, Sept. 18, 2024.

National Guard Rifle Team Clinches Dogs of War Trophy
August 12, 2024
The All National Guard Rifle Team poses with the target they struck from 600 yards after winning the National Trophy, also known as the Dogs of War Trophy, and the Hilton Trophy during the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, Aug. 2, 2024. This is the third time the National Guard won the National Trophy since its inception in 1903.

National Guard Professional Education Center Celebrates 50 Years
May 20, 2024
Col. Cathi Cherry, commander of the Professional Education Center; Maj. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard; Lt. Col. Elvin Zapata, oldest Soldier serving at PEC; Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders; Sgt. Rhett Crandall, youngest Soldier serving at PEC; and Lt. Gen. Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard, cut the cake at a 50th-anniversary celebration for the PEC on Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas, May 16, 2024. PEC is home to more than 480 courses spanning six battalions to train Army National Guard Soldiers and Department of Army civilians in cybersecurity, human resources, logistics, recruiting and retention, strategy and leader development, and finance.

Wisconsin Soldier, Arkansas Team Win Small Arms Championship
May 10, 2024
Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Swanson of the Wisconsin National Guard won the Individual Grand Aggregate award at the 53rd Winston P. Wilson Rifle and Pistol Matches at Camp Joseph T. Robinson, North Little Rock, Arkansas, April 27-May 3, 2024.

National Guard Athletes Finish Strong at Lincoln Marathon
May 6, 2024
Puerto Rico National Guard runner Sgt. Angeles Virella crosses the finish line of the 47th annual Lincoln Marathon and Half Marathon May 5, 2024, in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Nebraska National Guard has a long history of supporting the Lincoln Marathon, which biennially serves as the time trials for the National Guard All Guard Marathon Team.

Arkansas Guardsmen Return from Southwest Asia Deployment
December 11, 2023
Maj. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs, Arkansas adjutant general, greets Arkansas National Guard members returning from a nine-month deployment to Southwest Asia before they are reunited with their families Dec. 9, 2023.

National Guard Members Showcase Innovation
December 8, 2023
Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony Whitehead, SEA to the CNGB, center left and center right, respectively, with competitors of the 2023 National Guard Bureau Innovation Challenge at the Herbert R. Temple Jr. Army National Guard Readiness Center, Arlington Hall Station, Virginia, Dec. 7, 2023. Arizona Army National Guard members took home top honors for their concept of exportable maneuver live-fire capabilities that could help units achieve training requirements.

Arkansas Air Guard Medics Provide Free Medical Care in Guatemala
December 5, 2023
Arkansas National Guardsmen from the 188th Wing at Ebbing Air National Guard base in Fort Smith and the 189th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville departed Dec. 1 for a seven-day mission providing free medical care in Guatemala City.

U.S. and Pacific Joint Forces Train Together
November 22, 2023
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, exit a C-17 Globemaster III during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-1 at March Air Reserve Base, California, Oct. 28, 2023. JPMRC 24-1 included over 5,300 participants from the U.S. Joint Force, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and Thailand.

Arkansas National Guard Competes in Cyber Challenge
November 13, 2023
Four members of the 188th Intelligence Support Squadron at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas, competed against 27 teams in a two-day cybersecurity challenge in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Nov. 3-5. Tech. Sgts. Donald McKellip and Brandon Wheeler, Staff Sgt. Tommy Patton and Senior Airman Dalton Landrum were selected for their expertise, interest in the event, and the needs of the squadron.

35th Infantry Division Hosts 2023 Readiness Symposium
September 19, 2023
The 35th Infantry Division hosted the First Annual Division Readiness Symposium Sept. 9-10, 2023, welcoming a diverse array of units from the Army National Guard in several states to Division Headquarters in Leavenworth, Kansas. The event aimed to enhance communication and understanding, ensuring operational, exercise and deployment readiness.

National Guard Fights Louisiana Wildfires From the Air
September 1, 2023
Louisiana National Guard aviation assets began water-drop missions Aug. 23, 2023, to combat wildfires in western Louisiana. They have been assisted by the Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee National Guard.

Mississippi, Arkansas Guard Airmen Train with Coast Guard
August 30, 2023
Aeromedical evacuation technicians from the 183rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron administer aid to a simulated patient during medical airlift evacuation training in Gulfport, Mississippi, July 20, 2023. The 183rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron conducted annual training with the 189th Medical Group, Arkansas ANG, U.S. Coast Guard New Orleans and Gulfport.

Cyber Shield Hones Skills, Builds Partnerships
June 20, 2023
Sgt. Azaria Christian, incident response division chief, North Carolina National Guard, participates in the NetWars competition during the Cyber Shield training exercise at the Professional Education Center, Little Rock, Ark., June 9, 2023. Participants tested their defensive cybersecurity skills.

182nd AW Leads C-130 Hercules Operations at Air Defender 23
June 15, 2023
U.S. Airmen with the 182nd Airlift Wing, Illinois National Guard, deplane a C-130 Hercules aircraft to prepare for exercise Air Defender 2023 at Wunstorf Air Base, Wunstorf, Germany, May 31, 2023. Exercise AD23 integrates U.S. and Allied air power to defend shared values, while leveraging and strengthening vital partnerships to deter aggression around the world.

Arkansas Airmen Complete Combative Training Exercise
June 9, 2023
Tech Sgt. Onan Castro, top, and Master Sgt. Jordan Wiley, combative instructors of the 188th Security Forces Squadron, demonstrate defensive techniques during a training session June 8, 2023, at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas. Security Forces Airmen refine their skills in hand-to-hand combat and grappling maneuvers to excel in close-quarters combat scenarios.

188th Wing Hosts Emergency Management Course
May 30, 2023
SPEARS students prepare to load their MRZR vehicle on a CH-47 Chinook that will transport them into an austere training environment May 25, 2023, at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Ark. The MRZR is engineered to meet the demands of emergency response operation in various terrains and environments.

Guard Soldiers, Airmen Compete for All Guard Marathon Team
May 9, 2023
National Guard athletes race in the 46th annual Lincoln Marathon, which also serves as the National Guard Marathon Team time trials, held May 7, 2023, in Lincoln, Nebraska. More than 200 National Guard Airmen and Soldiers from across the country competed for spots on the All Guard Marathon Team.

New York Guard Completes Ukrainian Troop Training Mission
April 28, 2023
Authority over the Joint Multinational Training Group — Ukraine mission is transferred from Task Force Orion, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, to Task Force Bowie, 39th IBCT, Arkansas Army National Guard during a ceremony in Grafenwoehr, Germany, April 28, 2023. JMTG-U ensures the combat effectiveness of Armed Forces of Ukraine soldiers training on systems and equipment issued under the U.S. Presidential Drawdown Authority, and training in combined arms and joint maneuver.

Army Guard Sniper Team Wins International Sniper Competition
April 27, 2023
Team Leader Sgt. 1st Class Erik Vargas of the New Mexico National Guard, and teammates Staff Sgt. Benjamin Cotten and Staff Sgt. Allen Smith of the Arkansas National Guard during the International Sniper Competition at Fort Benning, Ga., April 8-13, 2023. The team placed first.

39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to Work With Ukrainian Forces
April 6, 2023
More than 160 Guardsmen from the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team headquarters departed Camp Joseph T. Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas, April 4, 2023, and will make their way to Grafenwoehr, Germany, for a year-long mission training Ukrainian armed forces.

Hokanson: Army Guard Aviation is big, Widespread, Capable
January 26, 2023
Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, addresses Army National Guard aviation students at Fort Rucker, Alabama, Jan. 24, 2023. The Army Guard has aviation assets and facilities in all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.

Guard Continues Domestic, Global Missions in a Busy 2022
December 21, 2022
Spc. Megan Koszarek, an infantryman with the Alaska Army National Guard’s Avalanche Company, 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, conducts a security sweep during a training exercise near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Dec. 3, 2022. The exercise's aim was to enhance the unit’s combat readiness and evaluate proficiency in an arctic environment.

Arkansas Air Guardsmen Provide Medical Care in Guatemala
October 31, 2022
Senior Airman Tabari Matthews, 189th dental technician, assists Canadian Army Capt. Cleve Kim, dentist, in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, Oct. 28, 2022, during Continuing Promise 2022. Arkansas Air National Guard members worked alongside U.S. and foreign military forces, government officials and civilian personnel to provide medical care, improve interoperability, and develop enduring relationships.

Arkansas Guardsman Takes Care of Medical Group
October 20, 2022
Senior Master Sgt. Ché Kinnard, seated, talks with members of the 188th Medical Group at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Arkansas. The 188th Medical Group heads to Guatemala in October 2022 for a joint, Medical Ready Training Exercise mission with the Navy.

Army National Guard signal conference highlights data, data transport modernization
June 1, 2022
Project Manager Tactical Network, at the Program Executive Office Command, Control, Communications-Tactical, and the Arkansas Army National Guard 239th Brigade Engineering Battalion, demonstrated the Disaster Incident Response Emergency Communications Terminal (DIRECT) tool suite during the 2022 Army National Guard G6 Tactical Communications Conference in May 2022 at Little Rock, Arkansas. DIRECT enables Army National Guard signal units to provide commercial phone, internet access, command post Wi-Fi and radio interoperability to first responders.

Soldiers, Airmen compete to make All Guard Endurance Team
January 20, 2022
U.S. Army Maj. Samantha Wood, a medical specialist officer with Joint Forces Headquarters, California National Guard, places her medal around her neck after crossing the finish line of the Spartan DEKA FIT, a fitness competition that consists of 10 events, each preceded by a 500-meter run, in Austin, Texas, Jan. 15, 2022. Wood placed first overall among the National Guard women competing for a spot on the All Guard team.

National Guard Marksmanship Training Center increases lethality, a round at a time
December 10, 2021
Thirty-three teams gathered at the 51st Winston P. Wilson and 31st Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting Sniper Rifle Matches hosted by the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center at the Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, Barling, Arkansas, Dec. 4-9, 2021.

National Guard neighbors help Louisiana rebuild after Ida
October 1, 2021
Mississippi National Guard 2nd Lt. Austin Riels, assigned to the 113th Military Police Company, 112th Military Police Battalion, waves vehicles through a traffic control point after Hurricane Ida, Grand Isle, Louisiana, Sept. 17, 2021.

All Guard Combat team named marksmanship champions
September 13, 2021
Army Sgt 1st. Class Michael Bautista, Idaho National Guard, examines his target during a rifle match Sept. 3, 2021, at the 30th Armed Forces Skill at Arms Meeting at the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center. Established in 1991, the Armed Forces Skills at Arms Meeting (AFSAM) is a multinational and interservice competition created to promote marksmanship training and competition between the different components and services of U.S. military forces and allied nations.

Arkansas, North Dakota Guardsmen win rifle, pistol competition
September 13, 2021
Staff Sgt. James Dansie, Utah National Guard, fires his pistol Sept. 2, 2021, during the General George Patton Combat Pistol match of the 50th Winston P. Wilson and the 30th Armed Forces Skill at Arms Championships, hosted by the National Guard Marksmanship Training Center, held at the Robinson Joint Maneuver Training Center, North Little Rock, Ark.

National Guard responds in force to Hurricane Ida
September 1, 2021
Louisiana National Guardsmen rescue people in LaPlace, Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. More than 6,000 members of the National Guard from more than a dozen states were in Louisiana assisting state and federal partners with relief efforts.

Senegal soldiers observe JRTC training in Louisiana
July 23, 2021
Sgt. 1st Class Jamie Vincent explains the use of Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System gear to visiting Senegalese soldiers at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana, July 22, 2021.

Virginia 180th Engineers head to Louisiana for JRTC rotation
July 16, 2021
Virginia National Guard Soldiers load a bulldozer onto a trailer for transport July 9, 2021, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The bulldozer is part of the heavy equipment the 180th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group, is using during a training rotation July 10-Aug. 3, 2021, at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana.

Knowledge tops rank for Guardsman leading Phoenix Oracle
July 13, 2021
Staff Sgt. Steven De Leon views an unclassified version of a geospatial web application depicting the measurement tool and threat analysis feature of the Phoenix Oracle website. The New Jersey Air National Guardsman is an intelligence analyst with the 204th Intelligence Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and has been named the chief lead of the team developing this Air Mobility Command-led web capability project.

188th Medical Group completes casualty care training
June 23, 2021
Airmen from the 188th Wing completed an intensive two-day course Tactical Combat Casualty Care course June 3-4, 2021, at Ebbing Air National Guard Base, Ark. The training involved airway management, tourniquet application, wound bandaging, and various stretcher-carrying techniques

Guatemala, Arkansas National Guard grow SPP partnership
May 17, 2021
Left to right, Guatemalan Cols. Miguel Orozco, J2 intelligence director; Edgar Agustin, J3 operations director; and Romeo Nerio, training command director; examine an RQ-11 Raven unmanned aircraft operated by the Arkansas National Guard’s 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Maj. Gen. Walfre Carranza, Guatemala’s chief of defense, led a six-person delegation that toured Arkansas National Guard facilities May 13-15, 2021, under the State Partnership Program.

Army Guard cyber event entices future Soldiers
May 13, 2021
Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gregory Backus, an information protection technician with the Army National Guard’s Professional Education Center, initiates a cyberattack on the computer networks of students participating in Interactive War Games, a cyber awareness event at Arkansas State University-Beebe, April 28, 2021. Backus was showing students what a cyberattack looked like as they were participating in simulated battlefield drills from laptop computers.

Guardsmen excel in All Army Marksmanship Championships
March 23, 2021
Service Members from across the Army, Army Reserves and National Guard fire M-9 pistols during the 2021 U.S. Army “All Army” Small Arms Championships at Fort Benning, Georgia, March 14-20, 2021. National Guard teams and individuals brought home 23 of 31 top awards including 1st in nine of 11 categories.

Army National Guard transitions cyber task force mission
February 16, 2021
Army National Guard Soldiers from the 124th Cyber Protection Battalion are deployed as part of Task Force Echo IV in support U.S. Cyber Command, Fort Meade, Maryland.

Arizona, Mississippi Soldiers are Best Warriors
September 21, 2020
Army Staff Sgt. Mitchell Scofield, front right, a cavalry scout with the Mississippi Army National Guard’s Regional Training Institute, and Cpl. Daniel D’lppolito, an infantryman with the Arizona Army National Guard’s Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 158th Infantry Regiment, front left, hoist their pistols during the closing ceremony of the Army National Guard’s 2020 Best Warrior Competition at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, Sept. 16. Scofield and D’lppolito earned the titles of Army National Guard Noncommissioned Officer and Soldier of the Year, respectively. Command Sgt. Maj. John F. Sampa, middle, the command sergeant major of the Army National Guard, joins Scofield and D’lppolito in celebrating their new titles. The two Soldiers will go on to compete in the 2020 all-Army Best Warrior Competition, to be held virtually later in the year.

189th Airlift Wing installs first UV light system
July 22, 2020
PJ Piper, FAR UV Technologies prepares for an ultraviolet installment in one of many facilities across the 189th Airlift Wing, July 16, 2020, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. The wing is the first  in the Department of Defense to utilize this technology in the work environment.

Arkansas Guard stays in touch with Guatemalan partners
May 7, 2020
The Arkansas National Guard held a videoconference with key military leaders from Guatemala on COVID-19 best practices and other issues May 6, 2020, as part of the State Partnership Program. The meeting was scheduled in March in Guatemala but was changed to a videoconference due to the coronavirus.

Father-daughter loadmaster duo keeps family flying tradition
May 5, 2020
Chief Master Sgt. Gary Hendrickson and Senior Airman Ashlyn Hendrickson, both loadmasters assigned to the 154th Training Squadron, inside a C-130H at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. The father-daughter duo love flying and provide vital support in their role as C-130H loadmasters.

188th Wing Nurse serves on front line to battle COVID-19
April 24, 2020
Capt. Breeanna Howerton is an Arkansas Air National Guard clinical nurse with the 188th Wing, but also a registered nurse at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks.

Operation Deep Freeze: maintaining the mission
April 23, 2020
Airmen assigned to the 189th Maintenance Group, Arkansas National Guard, performed temporary duty in Antarctica in support of the 109th Airlift Wing, New York National Guard, and the Department of Defense's Operation Deep Freeze. The crew prepared and maintained the 109th AW's C-130J "Snowbirds" and assisted with supply transport and medical evacuation readiness.