Vermont National Guard News
Two F-35 Lightning IIs approach the runway at the Vermont Air National Guard Base, South Burlington, Vt., May 6, 2020. Maj. Michael Cady, chief of weapons and tactics for the 134th Fighter Squadron, Vermont Air National Guard, was piloting the Tail 5278 which achieved the 500th sortie for the Green Mountain Boys
158th Fighter Wing honors COVID-19 responders with F-35A flyover
By Tech. Sgt. Ryan Campbell | May 8, 2020
The 158th Fighter Wing of the Vermont Air National Guard will honor Vermont’s front line COVID-19 responders and essential workers with a flyover on Friday, May 22, 2020.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Esther Lee, a chaplain assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard, poses for a photo as she supports the Amundsen-Scott station, Antarctica, February 6, 2020. The National Science Foundation runs the station, located at the Geographic South Pole, and relies on the 109th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard, as the sole supplier of airlift within Operation Deep Freeze, a six-month deployment to the arctic.
From Vermont to Antartica (and Back)
By Julie Shea | April 11, 2020
Close to midnight on January 7, 2020, Chaplain Esther Lee arrived at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Chosen to be part of the support staff for Operation Deep Freeze (ODF), in her own words, Lee “hit the ground running” and met with military members and civilian workers in the brisk, sunny morning of January 8.

Airmen and soldiers from the Vermont National Guard work to construct a 400-bed medical health facility at the Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, Vt., April 4, 2020. The Vermont National Guard is working with the state of Vermont and emergency response partners in a whole-of-government effort to flatten the curve during the COVID-19 pandemic.
How to Build a Medical Facility in Four Days
By Tech. Sgt. Ryan Campbell | April 4, 2020
ESSEX JUNCTION, VT., (April 22, 2020) – April 1st was supposed to be April Fool’s Day, a day that should have been full of jokes and satire. Instead, a team of civil engineers from the Vermont National Guard spent their day on a more serious note.

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Tyler Short, a survey team member with the 15th civil support team, Vermont National Guard, decontaminates with assistance of team members at a public drive through Covid-19 screening station hosted at Landmark College, Putney, Vt., Mar. 31 2020. These screens are a collaboration amongst local health centers, hospitals and the Vermont Department of Health.
VTNG Civil Support Team Joins Community Partners in Battling COVID-19
By Tech. Sgt. Garth Dunkel | March 31, 2020
The 15th Civil Support Team (CST) of the Vermont National Guard, under the guidance of the Vermont Department of Health, established a mobile testing site on the grounds of Landmark College in Putney, Vt. Citizens can take advantage of the drive through sampling provided by the 15th CST after receiving a referral from their doctor or through an online survey at https://www.healthvermont.gov/response/infectious-disease/2019-novel-coronavirus.

Members of an honor guard raise the NATO flag in front of North Macedonia's parliament to mark the ratification of accession to the alliance in Skopje on February 11. by Ognen Teoflovski (Photo: Reuters)
North Macedonia joins NATO as its 30th member
By Tech. Sgt. Garth Dunkel | March 30, 2020
On Friday, March 27, 2020, North Macedonia officially completed its accession into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as its 30th ally, following the ratification of the alliance’s accession protocol by all 29 member nations and the conclusion of formal ceremonies at the U.S. Department of State. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed North Macedonia into the “NATO family” at a formal flag-raising event held in Brussels.
National Guard News
Pfc. Kathryn Ratliff works at the Nissan Stadium COVID-19 testing site in downtown Nashville, Aug. 21. Since March, over 2,000 Tennessee National Guardsmen have been activated in some capacity to assist the communities in the fight against COVID-19.
Tenn. National Guard surpasses half-million COVID-19 tests
By Staff Sgt. Timothy Cordeiro | Nov. 6, 2020
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee National Guard reached a milestone this week in COVID-19 testing.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. A. Jared Forst and Sgt. Becca Meerwarth take their oath of reenlistment Oct. 30, 2020, in Kuwait. The reenlistment was carried out at the Kuwait Martyr’s Museum with Col. Sean Flynn administering the oath.
Soldiers re-enlist at historic Kuwait landmark
By Master Sgt. Thomas Wheeler | Nov. 5, 2020
ARIFJAN, Kuwait – In front of a host nation's historical landmark, two 42nd Infantry Division

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kristin Northrup and Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Myers, assigned to the 2nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, collects and labels samples in a simulated-training event on Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, October 19-22, 2020.
NY National Guard's two Civil Support Teams train together
By Spec. Marla Ogden | Nov. 4, 2020
NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Returning from work at Stewart Air National Guard Base, an Airmen became ill and

Over 136 days, 36 Air National Guard members worked as a part of the CARES Act team. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allowed for members of the Guard to be put on orders full time to support New Mexicans' needs and assistance during the global pandemic.
New Mexico Air Guard help the state with CARES Act team
By 150th Special Operations Wing | Nov. 3, 2020
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M - Over 136 days, 36 Air National Guard members worked as a part of the CARES Act

Staff Sgt. Samantha Dehling, the supply sergeant for the 49th Missile Defense Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, stands for a photo at her home in Delta Junction on Oct. 30, 2020, in a traditional Inupiat silver fox fur-lined parka her mother made. Dehling is from Noorvik, Alaska, and has served in the Alaska Army National since 2001.
Soldier embraces Native Alaskan heritage
By Staff Sgt. Zachary Sheely | Nov. 3, 2020
FORT GREELY, Alaska – Much of Alaska's native population is across great land swaths in some of the
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DOD News
Sgt. Kevin M. Helmick II, the Military Police Investigations Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) with the West Virginia National Guard’s (WVNG’s) 156th Military Police Detachment, poses for a photo with his civilian career K9 partner, Riso. Helmick, who serves as a K9 Handler and a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) for the Moorefield Police Department when not in military uniform, was selected as the WVNG’s Soldier Spotlight for November 2020. (Courtesy photo provided)
Helmick Named WVNG Soldier Spotlight for November 2020
By Edwin Wriston | Nov. 7, 2020
For November 2020, our monthly Soldier Spotlight highlights Sgt. Kevin M. Helmick II, the Military Police Investigations Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) with the 156th Military Police Detachment.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Nitze with Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment team conducts enhanced counter narcotics operations in the Eastern Pacific, July 29, 2020. Personnel aboard the ship recovered 82 kilograms of suspected cocaine and 2,961 pounds of suspected marijuana. Nitze is deployed to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility to counter illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
DOD Works With U.S. Agencies, International Partners to Halt Illicit Drug Flow
By David Vergun | Nov. 6, 2020
A priority of the National Drug Control Strategy is to reduce the availability of illegal drugs in the United States, a DOD official said.

A Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton crewman offloads more than 18,700 pounds of cocaine, nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana and 15 gallons of liquefied cocaine worth more than $324 million at Port Everglades, Fla., April 3, 2020. The drugs were interdicted in international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the coasts of Mexico and Central and South America. It includes contraband seized and recovered in 15 interdictions of suspected drug smuggling vessels by nine American and Canadian ships.
U.S., Mexico Cooperate to Reduce Cross-Border Drug Flow
By David Vergun | Nov. 6, 2020
Cooperation from allies and partners like Mexico is critical to helping DOD detect and monitor the transit of illicit drugs into the United States.

Representatives from participating nations virtually attended the Americas Space Conference from their respective countries Nov. 4-5, 2020. In this historic event, five nations of the Americas gathered to focus on coordination, cooperation and collaboration for space research and development opportunities. The conference, co-hosted by U.S. Space Command, U.S. Southern Command and the U.S. Space Force, included space defense experts from the U.S., Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.
Americas Space Conference brings together 6 nations to discuss research, development opportunities
By U.S. Space Command Public Affairs Office | Nov. 6, 2020
In a historic virtual event, six nations of the Americas gathered to focus on coordination,

Staff Sgt. Corey Simmons, decontamination officer with the 63rd Civil Support Team, Oklahoma National Guard, dons a safety suit in preparation to decontaminate the survey team after they have completed their mission in the Boone County Fire Protection District, Columbia, Missouri, Oct. 26, 2020.

The 63rd Civil Support Team conducted a four-day joint training exercise to evaluate their response in supporting civil authorities at a domestic Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High Yield Explosive (CBRNE) incident site. CBRNE agents advise on response measures and assist with appropriate requests for additional support. (Oklahoma Army National Guard Photo by Spc. Caleb Stone)
63rd Civil Support Team Competes for title of Best CST
By Sgt. Jordan Sivayavirojna and Spc. Caleb Stone | Nov. 6, 2020
The Oklahoma National Guard's 63rd Civil Support Team (CST) participated in the inaugural Multi CST Challenge event in the Boone County Fire Protection District, Columbia, Missouri, Oct. 26-29. Unlike traditional training events, teams competed for the title of “Best Civil Support Team” to see who has the most efficient procedures.