180th Engineers begin federal active duty mobilization
Ceremony formalizes return of 29th ID DIVARTY
VNG celebrates graduates of OCS Class 67, 68A, 68B
VaARNG Funeral Honors team provides training to active-duty Soldiers
VaARNG recruiting battalion tops annual mission
VaANG’s Bosslift event enhances military-civilian partnerships
Harris succeeds Calley as VaARNG Senior Warrant Officer
Virginia Air National Guard welcomes its first Warrant Officer
VNG aviators conduct water bucket training using portable tank
Del. Feggans recognizes outstanding 192nd Wing Airmen

FEATURED STORIES

Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the state’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion conduct a battalion run June 27, 2025, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The battalion came together for a week of training at SMR to focus on professional development, sharing best practices and building esprit de corps. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)
VaARNG recruiting battalion tops annual mission
Sept. 9, 2025
The Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion marked a milestone Aug. 20, 2025, when it surpassed its National Guard Bureau mission of 851 enlistments in what has been an exceptional recruiting year. With weeks still remaining before the Sept. 30 end of the recruiting year, the battalion’s recruiters have continued to build on that success, adding dozens more enlistments. 
The Virginia National Guard formally re-activates the 29th Infantry Division Artillery, or DIVARTY, during a ceremony Sept. 6, 2025, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia. Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, presided over the ceremony featuring the uncasing of colors for DIVARTY and DIVARTY’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battery. Brig. Gen. Christopher J. Samulski, the 29th ID commanding general, and Col. Shawn Talmadge, DIVARTY commander, gave remarks, and the Troutville-based 29th ID Band provided ceremonial music for the event. The DIVARTY, based in Bowling Green, Virginia, is a brigade-level headquarters, aligned with the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, and two other artillery battalions in Florida and Georgia for training. The 29th DIVARTY was deactivated in 2005 due to Army-wide force structure changes, but evolving operational requirements have brought it back to the force. Read more DIVARTY at https://vngpao.info/DIVARTY.
Ceremony formalizes return of 29th ID DIVARTY
Sept. 18, 2025
The Virginia National Guard formally re-activated the 29th Infantry Division Artillery, or DIVARTY, during a ceremony Sept. 6, 2025, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia. Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, presided over the ceremony featuring the uncasing of colors for DIVARTY and DIVARTY’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battery.

VIRGINIA NATIONAL GUARD NEWS

Eleven officer candidates enrolled in the Virginia Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School cebrate the completion of their OCS experience during a commissioning ceremony held Sept. 14, 2025, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The ceremony recognized the graduates from both the traditional OCS Class 67, as well as the accelerated Classes 68A and 68B. During the event, candidates took the oath of office and were pinned with second lieutenant bars by family members and friends. Retired Brig. Gen. K. Weedon Gallagher served as the guest speaker, while the Troutville-based 29th Infantry Division Band provided musical accompaniment. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)
VNG celebrates graduates of OCS Class 67, 68A, 68B
Sept. 23, 2025
Nine officer candidates graduated from the Virginia National Guard’s Officer Candidate School Sept. 14, 2025, in a ceremony at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The event brought together friends, family and leaders at the 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute to celebrate the accomplishments of both OCS Class 67 and 68B, and also marked the graduation of Class 68A, who completed their OCS experience earlier this year. Throughout the ceremony, the 29th Infantry Division Band provided musical accompaniment.
Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Army National Guard Funeral Honors Program provide funeral honors training to active-duty Soldiers assigned to the Joint Base Langley-Eustis-based 7th Transportation Brigade Sept. 3, 2025, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The MFH Program Soldiers provided two separate, week-long training iterations to two groups of 7th Transportation Brigade Soldiers Aug. 25 – Sept. 5, 2025. The Virginia Guard MFH Program hosts several training courses for Soldiers from around the country throughout the year. The program is composed of four teams located throughout the state which provide funeral details, not just to National Guard Soldiers, but to veterans of the active Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard. They have performed more than 26,866 funeral services throughout the Commonwealth and average 150 services each month. (U.S. National Guard photo by A.J. Coyne)
VaARNG Funeral Honors team provides training to active-duty Soldiers
Sept. 19, 2025
Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Army National Guard Funeral Honors Program provided funeral honors training to active-duty Soldiers assigned to the Joint Base Langley-Eustis-based 7th Transportation Brigade Aug. 25 – Sept. 5, 2025, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The MFH Program Soldiers provided two separate, week-long training iterations to two groups of 7th Transportation Brigade Soldiers.
Virginia National Guard logo
VNG mobilizes personnel for admin, logistics support to ICE
Sept. 19, 2025
The Virginia National Guard mobilized approximately 40 Soldiers and Airmen Sept. 15, 2025, with a mission to provide administrative and logistics support to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at locations across the state. 
Leaders of the 91st Cyber Brigade, Virginia state agencies, Department of Defense officials and local, state and federal energy representatives participate in a table top exercise as part of Cyber Fortress 25 Aug. 6, 2025, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Cyber Fortress 25 runs from Aug. 2-16, 2025, and brings together state and federal organizations who will respond to a real-world cyber incident. The focus of Cyber Fortress 25 is electric cooperatives and the exercise provides an opportunity to test Virginia’s cyber response plan and better prepare for future collective responses. In addition, representatives from several foreign militaries are participating in the exercise, including a number from Finland, Virginia's State Partnership Program's partner. The exercise is hosted by the 91st Cyber Brigade and includes a re-certification of two cyber protection teams and one battalion headquarters as part of their federal mission. (U.S. National Guard photo by A.J. Coyne)
Cyber operators train for response, mitigation at Cyber Fortress 25
Sept. 19, 2025
National Guard Soldiers and Airmen and members of the Virginia Defense Force partnered with military and civilian cyber operators Aug. 2-17, 2025, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia, during Cyber Fortress 25.
The Virginia National Guard formally re-activates the 29th Infantry Division Artillery, or DIVARTY, during a ceremony Sept. 6, 2025, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia. Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, presided over the ceremony featuring the uncasing of colors for DIVARTY and DIVARTY’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battery. Brig. Gen. Christopher J. Samulski, the 29th ID commanding general, and Col. Shawn Talmadge, DIVARTY commander, gave remarks, and the Troutville-based 29th ID Band provided ceremonial music for the event. The DIVARTY, based in Bowling Green, Virginia, is a brigade-level headquarters, aligned with the Norfolk-based 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment, and two other artillery battalions in Florida and Georgia for training. The 29th DIVARTY was deactivated in 2005 due to Army-wide force structure changes, but evolving operational requirements have brought it back to the force. Read more DIVARTY at https://vngpao.info/DIVARTY.
Ceremony formalizes return of 29th ID DIVARTY
Sept. 18, 2025
The Virginia National Guard formally re-activated the 29th Infantry Division Artillery, or DIVARTY, during a ceremony Sept. 6, 2025, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia. Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, presided over the ceremony featuring the uncasing of colors for DIVARTY and DIVARTY’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battery.
The Virginia National Guard’s Powhatan-based 180th Engineer Support Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group conducts a departure ceremony Sept. 8, 2025, at Powhatan High School in Powhatan, Virginia. The unit will conduct pre-mobilization training in Texas before deploying to support Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa and U.S. Africa Command to enhance regional stability and strengthen relationships with partner nations through construction projects across the region. During the ceremony, Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, Brig. Gen. Charles B. Martin Jr., commander the Virginia Army National Guard, and Capt. Catherine Bean, commander of the 180th, gave remarks to the unit and gathered family and loved ones. Volunteers with the Virginia Defense Force provided parking assistance, and Powhatan High School Junior ROTC cadets acted as the color guard for the ceremony.
180th Engineers begin federal active duty mobilization
Sept. 18, 2025
Approximately 130 Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Powhatan-based 180th Engineer Support Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group marked the beginning of their federal active duty mobilization with a departure ceremony Sept. 8, 2025, in Powhatan, Virginia. 
Airmen and their civilian supervisors and employers pose for a group photo during the 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard’s 2025 Bosslift event Sept. 6 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia. The event, organized by the VaANG Military and Family Readiness office and the Virginia Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, provided civilian employers with a firsthand experience of what their VaANG employees do during their military service. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Staff Sgt. Nilsa Garcia)
VaANG’s Bosslift event enhances military-civilian partnerships
Sept. 11, 2025
Strengthening ties between the military and civilian sectors, the 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, hosted the 2025 Bosslift event on Sept. 6 at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia. Organized by the VaANG Military and Family Readiness office and the Virginia Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, or ESGR, this event provided civilian employers with an opportunity to experience firsthand the training and dedication of their Air National Guard employees. The 2025 Bosslift, part of the Virginia ESGR outreach, aimed to bridge the gap between civilian workplaces and National Guard responsibilities.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 J. Anthony Dell, the 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard’s first warrant officer, graduates from Warrant Officer Training School May 21, 2025, at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. Dell's family and leadership in the VaANG attended his graduation ceremony. (Courtesy photo)
Virginia Air National Guard welcomes its first Warrant Officer
Sept. 11, 2025
The 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard’s Chief Warrant Officer 2 J. Anthony Dell graduated from Warrant Officer Training School May 21, 2025, at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. He returned to the VaANG and is serving as the wing’s first warrant officer since the U.S. Air Force discontinued the rank in 1959.
Official portrait of Brig. Gen. Christopher G. Batterton.
Batterton succeeds Jumper to lead Virginia Air National Guard
Sept. 10, 2025
Brig. Gen. Christopher Batterton succeeded Brig. Gen. Catherine Jumper as commander of the Virginia Air National Guard effective Sept. 6, 2025, and Jumper assumed responsibilities as the Assistant Adjutant General for Air Strategic Initiatives.
Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the state’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion conduct a battalion run June 27, 2025, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The battalion came together for a week of training at SMR to focus on professional development, sharing best practices and building esprit de corps. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Terra C. Gatti)
VaARNG recruiting battalion tops annual mission
Sept. 9, 2025
The Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion marked a milestone Aug. 20, 2025, when it surpassed its National Guard Bureau mission of 851 enlistments in what has been an exceptional recruiting year. With weeks still remaining before the Sept. 30 end of the recruiting year, the battalion’s recruiters have continued to build on that success, adding dozens more enlistments. 

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ABOUT THE VA NATIONAL GUARD

The Virginia National Guard is a unique dual-status force with a federal mission to provide a combat reserve for the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force to fight our nation’s wars and a state mission to provide a response force that answers the call of the Governor to defend the commonwealth. The VNG traces the history and tradition of Citizen-Soldier service to the founding of Jamestown in 1607, and there has been a military presence defending Virginia ever since. For more information on the Virginia National Guard click HERE.

SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION & RESPONSE

  • Virginia National Guard Reporting sexual assault line - 434-294-4669
  • DoD Safe Helpline - 877-995-5247/ 202-470-5546 (Oconus)

RESILIENCY RESOURCES

The Virginia National Guard J9 Directorate of Resiliency brings together Soldier-care efforts under one umbrella and includes: 

  • the Integrated Primary Prevention Workforce
  • Family Programs
  • Resilience, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention
  • Religious Support
  • the State Equal Employment Manager
  • the Sexual Assault Response Workforce

QUICK LINKS

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