The Virginia National Guard’s Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team was the first Army National Guard brigade to test and evaluate an approved task organization for a mobile brigade combat team during their 21-day eXportable Combat Training Capability rotation in June 2025 at Fort Pickett, Virginia.

As the sun rose on the northern coast of France June 6, 2025, a group of 30 U.S. National Guard Soldiers, all assigned to the 29th Infantry Division, organized themselves into a neat formation. The tide was in and, as the Atlantic Ocean lapped against Omaha Beach, a crowd gathered around the Soldiers. The onlookers had come from all over, traveling from nearby French villages and towns, neighboring European nations and, of course, the United States. Everyone there that morning - from the most junior Soldier standing in formation, to the oldest reenactor on the beach - was there to pay tribute to the men who stormed Normandy’s beaches on D-Day.

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.

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. 

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Douglas L. Harris assumed responsibility as the Virginia Army National Guard’s Command Chief Warrant Officer from Chief Warrant Officer 5 John D. Calley Sept. 6, 2025, at the Virginia National Guard Sergeant Bob Slaughter Headquarters at Defense Supply Center Richmond, Virginia.

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Sandston-based 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, 29th Infantry Division and members of the Fort Pickett Fire and Emergency Services conduct water bucket training Aug. 21, 2025, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. 

More than 30 Soldiers and civilians from a variety of National Guard organizations participated in a Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Credentialed Education Unit Refresher course Aug. 18-22, 2025, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

More than 70 Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Charlottesville-based Alpha Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team supported a Florida National Guard IBCT during their National Training Center rotation July 16 - Aug. 8, 2025, at Fort Irwin, California. 

The U.S. Air Force announced the service’s 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2025, including members from across active duty, the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve. Among those named is the Virginia Air National Guard’s Senior Airman Eleanor R. Warren, a geospatial intelligence analyst assigned to the 192nd Wing’s Intelligence Squadron.

The Virginia National Guard will celebrate the official return of the 29th Division Artillery at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at the Virginia War Memorial, located at 621 S. Belvidere Street in Richmond, Virginia. 

Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 529th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 329th Regional Support Group conducted a maintenance exchange with members of the Finnish Defense Forces July 23- Aug. 12, 2025, in Finland.

Del. Michael Feggans presented Virginia General Assembly House Joint Resolutions commending outstanding Virginia National Guard Airmen Aug. 10, 2025, during a visit to the 192nd Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Hampton, Virginia.