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Vermont National Guard Logo Press Releases
Press Release | April 12, 2019

Vermont Army National Guard Packs for JRTC Rotation

The Vermont Army National Guard will be loading rail cars in Burlington as we prepare for our Joint Readiness Training Center Rotation in Fort Polk, Louisiana. Rail operations will take place at the Burlington Rail Yard from April 12-April 18, 2019.

Most of the traffic created by bringing equipment and vehicles to the rail yard will be done very early in the morning to prevent any additional traffic to the Burlington area.

“JRTC is the Super Bowl of training events for infantry brigade combat teams and is how the Army generates increased readiness for select brigades,” said Col. Nathan Lord, commander, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (MTN). “Vermont’s Mountain Brigade’s stellar reputation earned in combat and through multiple trips to JRTC in the past is why we were selected. I acknowledge and appreciate the sacrifices families and employers are making as our country asks more and more of our citizen-Soldiers.”

JRTC is the largest training exercise available for IBCTs. More than 5,000 Soldiers from 18 states and territories will participate in the exercise. JRTC simulates a deployed environment where Soldiers are put into high stress situations.

National Guard News
The West Virginia National Guard’s Army Interagency Training and Education Center Critical Infrastructure Protection Battalion stepped into the national spotlight by hosting its first-ever Critical Infrastructure Protection Workshop, April 8-9 at Camp Dawson, in Kingwood, West Virginia. The event brought together representatives from over 37 states and territories, numerous federal agencies, and all levels of the Department of Defense to address the escalating threats facing essential U.S. public utilities, resources, and cybersecurity systems our country now faces.
West Virginia Guard Hosts Workshop to Address Potential Infrastructure Threats
By Erica Bodker, | April 22, 2025
CHARLESTON, W.V. – The West Virginia Army National Guard recently hosted its first workshop to address possible threats to the country’s public utilities, resources and cybersecurity systems. The Guard’s Army Interagency...

Department of the Army logo
Army Establishes New Fitness Test of Record to Strengthen Readiness and Lethality
By Army Public Affairs | April 22, 2025
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Army announced Monday the establishment of the Army Fitness Test (AFT) as the official physical fitness test of record for all Soldiers, replacing the Army Combat Fitness Test.The five-event AFT is...

Twenty Army National Guardsmen from eight states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands took part in the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) during the Region III phase of the Best Warrior Competition (BWC), held April 21, 2025, at the South Carolina National Guard’s McCrady Training Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Hosted by the South Carolina National Guard from April 21–26, the Region III BWC 2025 is open to all enlisted National Guard Soldiers. Competitors advanced through their state to the regional competition, facing demanding military challenges designed to test their combat skills and doctrinal knowledge. On the opening day of the competition, Soldiers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and U.S. Virgin Islands completed the ACFT before moving on to knowledge boards, written essays, and public affairs interviews.
Army Guard Region Three Soldiers Compete for Best Warrior
By Maj. Karla Evans, | April 22, 2025
EASTOVER, S.C. – Noncommissioned officers and Soldiers from the Southeastern United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands gathered Monday to participate in Region Three’s Best Warrior Competition.State Command Sgt...