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Category: 158th Fighter Wing

Photo of U.S. Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Bryan Sdankus, assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing, standing in front of the Command Section building on Kadena Air Base, Okinawa Japan, March 26, 2025.

April 3, 2025

Bridging Skies and Seas

The ocean churned beneath the incoming helicopters, their rotors slicing through the humid Pacific air. Special operations forces stood at the edge of open ramp doors, seconds from making their drop into the sea. This wasn’t just a drill; it was a test of their ability to execute under the most demanding conditions, where split-second decisions meant the difference between success and failure.

Photo of, From left: Japan Air Self Defense Force Capt. Nakanishi, U.S. Air Force Lt. Mike Watson and Royal Australian Air Force FLTLT Ryan pose for a photo in front of an F-35A Lightning II on the flight-line for exercise Cope North 2025 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 19, 2025.

March 7, 2025

Cope North 25 Strengthens Trilateral Airpower and Interoperability

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE — For the first time, F-35 Lightning II aircraft from Japan, the United States, and Australia conducted trilateral training operations, enhancing joint capabilities and interoperability. Representing the United States’ fifth-generation fighter presence, the Vermont Air National Guard’s 134th Fighter Squadron deployed a portion of its fleet for the exercise.

Staff Sgt. Noah Lukan, a Cyber Communications specialist assigned to the 148th Communications Squadron, 148th Fighter Wing, Minnesota Air National Guard, participated in a cold-water immersion as part of the Air National Guard's cold weather operations course at Camp Ripley Training Center, Minn., Feb. 7, 2025. Students participated in a six-day, five-night Field Training Exercise where they traveled on foot in subzero temperatures, using land navigational skills, to build camps featuring either a 10-man Arctic tent or thermal shelters made from materials found in nature. Students were comprised of mostly Security Forces specialists, but also included a Maintenance Group Commander, Physician Assistant, Cyber Communications Specialist, and a Public Affairs Specialist. The course taught service members to conduct mission-essential tasking in extreme cold environments.

Feb. 11, 2025

Air National Guard Conducts Arctic Training in Minnesota

CAMP RIPLEY, Minn. — 70 Air National Guard airmen gathered at Camp Ripley Training Center, Minn., from Jan. 27 to Feb. 8, 2025, to train and conduct mission-essential tasks in extremely cold temperatures, during the Air National Guard’s Cold Weather Operations Course (CWOC).

Airmen assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing take off in an aircraft that will bring them to their deployed location, from the Burlington International Airport.

Jan. 13, 2025

Vermont Air National Guard Deploys to Japan

More than 200 Airmen, along with equipment and F-35A Lighting II aircraft from the Vermont Air National Guard recently deployed to Kadena Air Base, Japan, as part of a planned rotation to enhance regional security and strengthen interoperability with joint and allied forces.

Photo of U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Hayden Lessor, from the Low Observable Maintenance Shop, Vermont Air National Guard, standing for a photo with his family while attending the Joining Forces event at the White House in Washington, D.C.

Jan. 8, 2025

VTANG Airman Represents Vermont at White House for Joining Forces

It’s not every day a member of the Vermont Air National Guard walks the halls of the White House, let alone shares a moment with the First Lady of the United States. For Tech. Sgt. Hayden Lessor of the 158th Fighter Wing, that moment became reality when he represented Vermont and the VTANG at the annual Joining Forces event.

Photo of U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Analie Choquette, a Transportation Movement Operations Specialist assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing, preparing her horse, Prada, for a ride at a barn in Orange, Vermont, Nov. 17, 2024.

Nov. 26, 2024

TMO Airman Not Horsing Around

In the world of the U.S. Air Force’s F-35 Lightning II, precision, focus, and attention to detail are imperative to ensuring the safety of the jets, their operators, and the accuracy of the aircraft’s performance. For Senior Airman Analie Choquette, a Traffic Management Operations Specialist with the 158th Fighter Wing, these are not just attributions to the F-35—they serve her during her off-duty time as well.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Dayton Brown (right), the base civil engineer, and Mr. Robert Letourneau, the base engineering technician, walk the grounds of the solar array expansion at the Vermont Air National Guard Base

Nov. 16, 2024

158th Fighter Wing Expands Largest Solar Array in Air National Guard

The Vermont Air National Guard began the third and final phase of a photovoltaic power project, an ambitious solar energy initiative aimed at bolstering energy resilience, reducing carbon emissions, and enhancing emergency readiness.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Mathew Lehman, Staff Sgt. Jana Somero, and Senior Master Sgt. Stephen Berthiaume, all members of the 158th Fighter Wing, stand in front the sign for Camp Lemonnier

Oct. 29, 2024

Honoring Our Deployed Airmen on National Day of the Deployed

More than 50 Airmen from the 158th Fighter Wing are deploying this fall to support ongoing missions in the United States Central Command and United States Africa Command theaters.

A photo of Kristina Von Trapp, granddaughter of Maria Von Trapp; Capt. Kelsey "Ice" Flannery, an F-35 pilot with the Vermont Air National Guard's 158th Fighter Wing; Klaudia Tanner, Minister of Defense of Austria; Victoria Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Austria; Capt. Melanie “MACH” Kluesner, F-35 Demo Team pilot; Command Chief Master Sgt. Jillian Rolla, Vermont state command chief; meeting at one of the 158th's F-35A Lightning IIs on display during Airpower, the largest air show in Europe, Hinterstoisser Air Base, Zetlweg, Austria, Sept. 6, 2024.

Oct. 3, 2024

Vermont Returns to Austria for AIRPOWER24 and Maple Tiger

With four F-35A Lightning IIs flying through the Austrian mountains, the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing returned to Austria for a second year of training with the Austrian and Swiss air forces.

An F-35 Lightning II assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing

Sept. 10, 2024

Airpower for Great Power Competition

The term great power competition is increasingly being used to describe the current global strategic landscape facing the United States and its allies. This paper examines the implications of that landscape for airpower.

The official logo of the Vermont National Guard.

TAG's State of the Guard 2026

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Green Mountain Guard Newsletter Archive

National Guard News
U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle Barboza, 176th Cyber Protection Team, assists international service members from Zambia, teaching cyber detection and incident response at the Professional Education Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, on July 15, 2026. Cyber Shield 2026 is the largest annual Department of Defense cyber training event, consisting of more than 1,000 participants from 44 states and territories as well as 23 countries who have gathered to collaborate and strengthen cyber capabilities on a global scale. Photo by Sgt. Brittany Burton.
North Carolina Guard, Zambia Partners Strengthen Cyber Skills
By Spc. Brooke Kentler, | July 22, 2026
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – For Col. Nkole Emmanuel Muyunda of the Zambia Air Force, Cyber Shield 2026 represented more than just an opportunity to strengthen his cybersecurity skills; it marked another step in the growing...
Idaho Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Brad Stock and Boise Fire Department Cpt. Ryan Yates travel to Mount Idaho in a UH-60 Black Hawk to conduct a search and rescue mission on the state's seventh highest peak, July 18, 2026. Courtesy photo.
Idaho Guard Rescues Injured Hiker
By Maj. Robert Taylor, | July 22, 2026
BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Army National Guard’s State Aviation Group, working with the Boise Fire Department, hoisted an injured hiker off a remote stretch of Mount Idaho July 18.The mission was the Idaho Army National Guard’s...
U.S. Army Spc. Tyler Ganter, front, and Staff Sgt. Cooper Richards, infantrymen with 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, utilize Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement Systems, or MILES, to simulate force-on-force engagement during Exercise Keris Strike, or KS, near Kota Belud, Malaysia, July 19, 2026. KS 26 incorporates MILES training to create realistic battlefield scenarios that strengthen combat readiness and multinational interoperability among American, Australian and U.S. Forces. Photo by Sgt. Danielle Rayon.
Oklahoma, Guam National Guardsmen Sharpen Combat Skills
By Sgt. Danielle Rayon, | July 21, 2026
KOTA BELUD, Malaysia – Oklahoma and Guam National Guardsmen sharpened their warfighting skills alongside Malaysian forces during a force-on-force training exercise using the Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System, or...
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