Virginia National Guard

Virginia Guard marksmen excel at regional, international shooting competitions
August 30, 2016 — A team of Virginia National Guard shooters were recognized as some of the best in the 2016 Marksmanship Advisory Council Region II Regional Marksmanship Sustainment Exercise in both the rifle and pistol competitions Aug. 25-28, 2016, at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania... MORE

Jordanian logisticians visit Va. Guard
August 20, 2016 — Senior logistical officers of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army meet with Virginia National Guard logisticians Aug. 18, 2016, at Defense Supply Center Richmond in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The visit was part of a multi-day tour of the Sustainment Center of Excellence at Fort Lee and provided an opportunity for leaders to build relationships and share information between JAF and U.S. forces, enhance interoperability between forces and increase warfighting function effectiveness... MORE

Virginia National Guard breaks ground on new state headquarters
August 18, 2016 — Senior officials from state government, the Virginia National Guard, Defense Supply Center Richmond and the Guard’s construction partners broke ground on the new state headquarters facility Aug. 16, 2016, at Defense Supply Center Richmond in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The 102,000 square foot facility will be built on a 13.6-acre site in the northern section of DSCR, cost approximately $30 million and construction should be completed by February 2018. It will provide workspace for the Adjutant General of Virginia, the Virginia National Guard Joint Staff and Air National Guard Staff currently located at Mullins Readiness Center in Sandston... MORE

Va. Army Guard, VDF cyber specialists continue network assessments
August 15, 2016 — Virginia Army National Guard cyber experts assigned to the Fairfax-based Data Processing Unit completed their fourth weeklong vulnerability assessment Aug. 12, 2016, and members of the Virginia Defense Force joined the team for the first time to help a Virginia locality strengthen its network security. The first assessment was conducted in March 2016 after Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe authorized funds to put Virginia Guard personnel on state active duty to conduct a series of assessments aimed at improving network security in the state... MORE

Va. Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team trains in Pulaski County
August 14, 2016 — Virginia National Guard aviation crews and Chesterfield County first responders conducted aviation rescue hoist training during the Max Creek Search and Rescue Exercise Aug. 13, 2016, in Pulaski County, Virginia. Soldiers assigned to the Chesterfield-based Detachment 1, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 151st Aviation Regiment and Detachment 2, Company G, 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment along with members of Chesterfield County Fire and Emergency Medical Service Scuba Rescue Team work together as the Virginia Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team to provide trained and ready personnel capable of conducting synchronized aerial reconnaissance and rescue evacuation in situations where there is potential loss of life, limb or eyesight or significant property damage. The event was the latest in a series of exercises that are part of an ongoing training partnership between Virginia National Guard and Chesterfield County Fire & EMS... MORE

116th MET supports multinational training event in U.K.
August 5, 2016 — Eleven members of the 116th Military Engagement Team traveled to the northeastern corner of England, to the British Army’s Stanford Training Area, for Steppe Eagle 16 During the final weeks of July 2016... MORE

29th Infantry Division Soldiers begin federal active duty
August 2, 2016 — Senior leaders from state government and the Maryland and Virginia National Guard joined family members, friends and fellow Soldiers in bidding farewell to approximately 80 Soldiers assigned to the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division as they began federal active duty Aug. 1, 2016, at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The Maryland and Virginia National Guard Soldiers will provide mission command in the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve... MORE

Task Force Normandy Soldiers return to Virginia after federal active duty
July 27, 2016 — The last groups of Soldiers assigned to the Winchester-based 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, also known as Task Force Normandy, returned to Virginia July 27, 2016, after serving on federal active duty since September 2015. More than 450 Soldiers from units based in Winchester, Woodstock, Leesburg and Suffolk provided security for installations in the U.S. Army’s Central Command area of operations in Qatar with just 90 days notice for the mission. The first groups of Soldiers returned to Virginia July 19... MORE

329th RSG Soldiers conduct staff planning exercise
July 17, 2016 — Soldiers assigned the Virginia National Guard’s Virginia Beach-based 329th Regional Support Group conducted a staff planning exercise focused on Joint Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration, or JRSOI, in support of hurricane response operations July 14-16, 2016, at Camp Pendleton in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Army National Guard, Air National Guard and Virginia Defense Force personnel from the Virginia National Guard joint staff acted as the higher headquarters for the exercise... MORE

Soldiers, Airmen train on communications system in Onancock
July 15, 2016 — Soldiers and Airmen assigned to the information technology and communication sections of the Virginia National Guard joint staff and Army Guard staff train on the Joint Incident Site Communications Capability July 13, 2016, in Onancock, Virginia. The JISCC is an advanced communications system that can be rapidly deployed to an incident location and uses secure satellite connections to provide the Guard and first responders with high speed internet, voice-over-IP telephones and high frequency radio communications... MORE

Red Dragons take over security mission in Qatar
July 13, 2016 — Two Virginia Army National Guard units charged with the responsibility for security at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, conducted a Relief In Place/Transfer of Authority ceremony July 11, 2016. Soldiers from the Lynchburg-based 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, also known as the Red Dragons, assumed responsibility for the mission from the Winchester-based 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, also known as Task Force Normandy... MORE

29th ID leads multinational exercise, Saber Strike 16
July 11, 2016 — More than 20 Maryland and Virginia National Guard Soldiers from the Fort Belvoir-based 29th Infantry Division traveled to Europe to participate in Saber Strike 16 June 4-22, 2016, in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania... MORE

Brig. Gen. Blake C. Ortner, commanding general of the Virginia National Guard’s 29th Infantry Division and exercise director of Saber Strike 16, speaks with Lt. Gen. Raimonds Graube, the Latvian Chief of Defence, June 9, 2016, in Valka-Valga, a border town between Latvia and Estonia.

Fort Pickett maintenance site wins 2015 Army Award for Maintenance Excellence
July 10, 2016 — The Virginia National Guard’s Fort Pickett-based Maneuver Area Training Equipment Site has been selected for a 2015 Army Award for Maintenance Excellence in the Army National Guard Table of Distribution and Allowance Category, according to announcement made July 6, 2016... MORE

Volunteer recognized with regional award
July 8, 2016 — Brig. Gen. Paul Griffin, the Virginia National Guard Director of the Joint Staff, recognized Krystin Kelley as the 2015 Volunteer of the Year for Region 3 July 6, 2016, in Sandston, Virginia. Joining Griffin for the presentation were Vickie Sais, State Family Programs director, Lt. Col. Rusty McGuire, commander of 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 116th IBCT, her husband Spc. Christopher E. Kelley and their niece. Each year the National Guard Bureau Family Programs Office recognizes one adult volunteer from each of the 10 regions who shows outstanding and exceptional service... MORE

Zollar takes command of 183rd RTI
June 27, 2016 — Col. James A. Zollar takes command of the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute from Col. Thomas L. Morgan, III, June 26, 2016, in a traditional change of command ceremony at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Brig. Gen. Walter L. Mercer, the Virginia National Guard’s Assistant Adjutant General – Army, presided over the exchange of unit colors that represented the transfer of command from Morgan to Zollar... MORE

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