Articles

July 28, 2016

New England CBRNE trains during Vigilant Guard 2016

The New England National Guard Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High Yield Explosive (CBRNE) Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP) began their mission on Range 3-1 at Camp Ethan Allen Training Site (CEATS), Jericho, Vt., July 28, 2016 as part of Vigilant Guard 2016. This CERFP consists of Army National Guard Soldiers in partnership with the Air National Guard.

July 28, 2016

Vermont National Guard Soldiers provide site support

The 86th Brigade Special Troops Battalion provided support for Vigilant Guard 2016, a training exercise for National Guard units, Title 10 forces, state, federal and local agencies across Vermont for Vigilant Guard 2016, July 28. The unit acted as site supports for exercise lanes at Camp Johnson and Camp Ethan Allen Training Site to facilitate the training of personnel in a realistic environment.

July 27, 2016

FEMA Taskforce 1 Urban Search and Rescue participates in Vigilant Guard 2016

Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Massachusetts Taskforce 1 Urban Search and Rescue, in-processed for Vigilant Guard 2016 at the Cram Dining facility, Camp Ethan Allen Training Site (CEATS), Jericho, Vt., July 27, 2016. Vigilant Guard 2016 has approximately 5000 participants from nine States National Guard units, title ten forces and state, federal and local agencies.

July 27, 2016

Medical countermeasures training during Vigilant Guard 2016

Members of the Vermont National Guard, regional civilian and federal partners came together for Vigilant Guard 2016 training at the 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington International Airport, South Burlington, Vt., July 27, 2016. Vigilant Guard 2016 is a national level emergency response exercise sponsored by the National Guard and NORTHCOM. The Medical Counter Measures (MCM) exercise, one small portion of Vigilant Guard 2016, was a way to practice response skills to a health epidemic in the state.

July 27, 2016

Vigilant Guard 2016

After three years of planning the Vigilant Guard 2016 exercise began in earnest July 27, 2016 at the 158th Fighter Wing, Burlington International Airport, South Burlington, Vt. Service members received mock Strategic National Stockpile supplies to respond with medical counter measures during a simulated emergency. Dr. Harry L. Chen, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health, U.S. Air Force Maj. General Steven Cray, Adjutant General, Vermont National Guard, and Christopher Herrick, the director of the Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, spoke about the role of their respective organizations during the training and how that would transfer to a real-life disaster scenario. The event is a starting point of more to come during Vigilant Guard 2016.

June 1, 2016

2016 TAG Match more than a competition

Pop-up targets teach guardsmen to, keep their head on a swivel, notice and react to fast changes in their environment. It is important to be able to react quickly, being able to locate a target, find a location on a map, getting an aircraft into the air.

May 14, 2016

Recruit Sustainment Company trains with other units

The Recruit Sustainment Program is the first step into military life for most National Guardsmen. The program is designed to teach Soldiers basic level tasks to make them successful in Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training. To further that effort, the cadre and commanders of the Recruit Sustainment Company attempt to involve other units in their training.

April 29, 2016

VTNG Conducts Simulated Search and Rescue Operations

Vermont National Guard Soldiers and Airmen perform rescue and escort operations training.

April 24, 2016

Recruit Sustainment Program prepares Soldiers

For many Soldiers, basic training is a pivotal starting point in their military career. In basic training, recruits are taught how to be a Soldier in the U.S. Army and are prepared mentally and physically for their careers. Not everyone makes it through basic training; those who don't are called "training pipeline losses."

April 2, 2016

Aviation conducts domestic operations training

Hurricane Irene affected many states on the East Coast including Vermont in 2011. The storm caused flooding and was responsible for an estimated $6.5 billion in total losses in the United States according to the National Weather Service. The National Guard was prepared for the disaster, and in response thousands of National Guard Soldiers and Airmen swiftly mobilized to support civilian authorities.

The official logo of the Vermont National Guard.

TAG's State of the Guard 2026

Note: the above YouTube video link may not work on all government computers. 

National Guard News
U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons, assigned to the Ohio National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing, conduct an “Elephant Walk” as the final exercise during an Air Combat Command Combat Readiness Inspection, April 26, 2026, in Swanton, Ohio. Combat Readiness Inspections are designed to test a unit’s capabilities, effectiveness and efficiency. Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Beth Holliker.
Ohio Guard Fighter Wing Deemed Mission Ready
By Staff Sgt. Sarah Stalder Lundgren, | April 28, 2026
SWANTON, Ohio – In a relentless demonstration of speed, skill and vigilance, about 1,000 members of the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing successfully completed a six-day Combat Readiness Inspection, or CRI, April...

A UH-60L medevac helicopter assigned to the D.C. Army National Guard Aviation Battalion lands near the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences during a training exercise in Bethesda, Maryland, on April 10, 2026. The training provided medical school applicants and first-year medical students with instruction in medical evacuation procedures and tactical combat casualty care. Photo by Master Sgt. Arthur M. Wright.
DC Guard Conducts Medevac Training with Medical Students
By Ayan Sheikh, | April 28, 2026
BETHESDA, Md. – The thrum of rotor blades cut across a clear sky as a UH-60L Medevac Black Hawk assigned to the District of Columbia National Guard descended onto a training field in Bethesda, kicking up dust and drawing a...

An F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the 122nd Fighter Wing, comes in for a landing at the 122nd Fighter Wing in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Oct. 20, 2023. The aircraft was the first of the fighters to arrive at the base since conversion to the F-16 began in April 2023. Photo by Master Sgt. William Hopper.
Indiana Guard’s 122nd Fighter Wing Completes F-16 Conversion
By Master Sgt. William Hopper, | April 28, 2026
BAER FIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ind. – The Indiana National Guard’s 122nd Fighter Wing has successfully completed conversion to new F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, earning the right to regain active combat certification...