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Vermont National Guard Logo Press Releases
Press Release | June 4, 2019

Vermont ARNG returns from JRTC

Vermont National Guard Public Affairs

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont  –  

The Vermont Army National Guard will be downloading rail cars in Burlington as equipment returns from our Joint Readiness Training Center Rotation in Fort Polk, Louisiana. Rail operations will take place at the Burlington Rail Yard from June 5 to possibly June 8.

There will be a higher impact on traffic than our previous rail operation as small convoys will be moving from the Burlington Rail Yard to Camp Johnson during the day.

“We are happy to have everyone home, but we must remain diligent to get all our equipment back to its proper location and in a high state of readiness,” said Col. Nathan Lord, commander, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (MTN). “One last effort and we can officially close out JRTC rotation 19-07 as a resounding success.”

JRTC is the largest training exercise available for Infantry Brigade Combat Teams. Over 5,000 Soldiers from 18 states and territories participated in the exercise. JRTC simulates a deployed environment where Soldiers are put into high stress situations. Nearly all Vermonters have returned from Fort Polk.

National Guard News
Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Staunton-based 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team, Arkansas National Guard Soldiers and Guatemalan service members partnered with Arkansas through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program move into the field June 8, 2026, during a training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center, or JRTC, at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Brig. Gen. Rusty McGuire, senior trainer for the Virginia Army National Guard’s JRTC rotation, and senior trainer noncommissioned officer Sgt. Maj. Ian Gilliam met with the Soldiers to discuss training operations and multinational interoperability. The 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team is the first Army National Guard brigade to participate in a JRTC rotation as a mobile brigade combat team after transitioning from an infantry brigade combat team in 2025. JRTC provides U.S. military units and personnel with complex, realistic combat training, including joint and combined-arms operations, force-on-force scenarios and live-fire exercises. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Clements.
Arkansas National Guard, Guatemalan Partners Build Interoperability
By John Oldham, | July 16, 2026
CAMP JOSEPH T. ROBINSON, NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas National Guardsmen and Guatemalan Army special forces recently trained together at Fort Polk, Louisiana, during Joint Readiness Training Center, or JRTC, rotation...

Multinational participants pose for a group photo during the West African Religious Affairs Symposium, or WARAS, in Accra, Ghana, July 14, 2026. U.S. and African military chaplains from 10 partner nations gather for the three-day exchange to discuss methods to support and strengthen service members' spiritual resiliency. Photo by Airman 1st Class Alexandra Dale.
Guard Chaplains, Partners Boost Readiness
By U.S. Africa Command | July 16, 2026
ACCRA, Ghana – Military chaplains and religious affairs personnel from the National Guard and 10 African nations gathered July 14 for the launch of the West African Religious Affairs Symposium, or WARAS, a three-day event...

Several shipping containers altered to look like buildings were relocated recently to the grounds of the Pennsylvania National Guard's Fort Indiantown Gap's Unmanned Aircraft System Training and Innovation Facility. The mock village allows Unmanned Aircraft System operators to fly drones around and through simulated buildings in an urban environment. Photo by Brad Rhen.
Pennsylvania Guard Expands Drone Training
By Brad Rhen, | July 16, 2026
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – As the battlefield continually shifts toward unmanned aircraft systems, the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Fort Indiantown Gap is expanding its unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, and counter-UAS...