Articles

May 19, 2026

From Armor Officer to Educator: Retired Lt. Col. Steven Gagner reflects on service

For retired Lt. Col. Steven Gagner, leadership has never been confined to a battlefield, classroom or boardroom. Instead, it has been a lifelong pursuit shaped by service, education and a commitment to helping others grow.

May 2, 2026

Engineers Build for the Future While Honoring the Past at Centennial Alliance 2026

Marking a century of military training and innovation, leaders of the Vermont Army National Guard and Ethan Allen Firing Range, directed an ambitious effort to blend history, modernization, and hands-on engineer training through Task Force Centennial Alliance 2026.

May 2, 2026

Legacy of the Ethan Allen Firing Range - Centennial Alliance

Established in 1926 as a modest training ground for Vermont’s Citizen-Soldiers, the Ethan Allen Firing Range has grown into one of the premier military training sites in the northeastern United States, marking a century of readiness, resilience and evolution with the completion of Centennial Alliance 2026 on April 24, 2026.

May 2, 2026

181st Engineers Participate in Centennial Alliance

Soldiers assigned to the 181st Engineer Vertical Construction Company, Massachusetts National Guard put their skills to work at Range 6-3 on the Ethan Allen Firing Range, constructing a pole barn as part of exercise Centennial Alliance 2026.

May 1, 2026

Remembering the Crew of 52-1571

Charles W. Diggle III and Bertrand White were young officers with the Vermont Air National Guard, earning their place in the demanding profession of Air Force pilots, where precision is routine, and risk is never far away.

May 1, 2026

HQDA Safety Streamer for the 15th Civil Support Team

The 15th Civil Support Team (Weapons of Mass Destruction) of the Vermont Army National Guard was presented the Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) Safety Streamer at the Army Aviation Support Facility, in South Burlington, Vermont, on May 1st, 2026, during a formal ceremony attended by Major General Henry "Hank" Harder Jr., The Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard, and Brigadier General Matthew M. Brown, Director of the Joint Staff.

April 22, 2026

Finance in the Field

For many in the Air National Guard, deployments force you to apply your skills in real-world, high-stakes environments while opening doors to parts of your career field you simply cannot experience at home. For one Vermont Airman, convoying through the Kenyan jungle with known enemy presence was an experience like no other.

April 20, 2026

Centennial Alliance: 100 Years of The Ethan Allen Firing Range

Centennial Alliance: Engineers from multiple Vermont National Guard units completed a series of major infrastructure improvement projects at The Ethan Allen Firing Range, marking the installation’s 100th anniversary and a significant modernization effort to enhance training capabilities.

April 17, 2026

Finance in the Field

In the middle of a fortified U.S. Army convoy through the Kenyan jungle, an airman with $140,000 cash prepares to make a payment to a contractor for an urgent airfield repair. With known threats in the area, the fear of being ambushed was high, but this transaction was required to repair the damaged flightline.

March 20, 2026

Disarming Danger: VTANG EOD's Dual Mission

When a suspicious bazooka round turns up in a Vermont garage or a decades-old artillery round is uncovered at a construction site overseas, Master Sgt. Andrew Borgens and his team are often the ones called to respond. Borgens serves as the 158th Explosive Ordnance Disposal flight chief with the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing, where he leads Airmen charged with protecting people and property from explosive hazards. “The easiest definition would be that we’re in charge of protection of personnel and property when it comes to explosive hazards,” Borgens said.

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
New Mexico National Guard at the signing ceremony were Joint Staff Director Brig. Gen. Pia Romero and State Command Sgt. Maj. Chris Poccia, whose presence underscored the Guard’s commitment to building a strong and enduring relationship with the Seychelles Defence Forces across all levels of leadership. Photo courtesy New Mexico National Guard.
New Mexico Guard, Seychelles Defence Forces Formalize State Partnership Program Agreement
By Hank Minitrez, | May 29, 2026
VICTORIA, Seychelles –The New Mexico National Guard and the Seychelles Defence Forces officially established a new partnership under the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program during a signing ceremony in...

Soldiers from the 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Texas Army National Guard, conduct a basket lift with a role player and canine during the 2026 Search and Rescue Exercise in the San Antonio area May 18-21. The 36th Combat Aviation Brigade plays a critical role in disaster response exercises by providing rapid aerial response, personnel transport and coordinated aviation support alongside civilian agencies, strengthening interagency partnerships essential to lifesaving operations. Photo by Capt. Jasmine Mathews.
Texas Guard Strengthens Search, Rescue Readiness
By Capt. Jasmine Mathews, | May 29, 2026
SAN ANTONIO – The Texas Military Department participated in the 2026 Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) May 18-21, marking twelve years of interagency partnership.SAREX focuses on disaster response preparedness for search and...

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Ohio National Guard’s 180th Fighter Wing takes off for a training flight during Checkered Flag 26-2 and the Weapons System Evaluation Program-East at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., April 29, 2026. Tyndall’s location adjacent to the Gulf Range Complex makes it one of the few installations in the United States capable of supporting large-scale air combat training, building the aircrew proficiency and readiness required for critical 4th- and 5th-generation fighter integration and live-fire exercises. Photo by Master Sgt. Kregg York.
Ohio Air Guard Enhances Combat Airpower at Checkered Flag
By Master Sgt. Kregg York, | May 29, 2026
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – In a contested environment, air superiority depends on more than advanced technology. It also requires the training and experience to use that technology effectively — a focus for the Ohio...