Virginia National Guard

VDF trains on individual skills, professional development
March 21, 2018 — More than 130 members of the Virginia Defense Force conducted training to improve their individual skills and professional development March 16-18, 2018, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. VDF volunteers trained on high frequency radio and mobile communications platform operations, incident management assistance, traffic control and access control and also took part in professional development classes including junior officer and senior noncommissioned officer leader development, property accountability, procurement procedures, officer candidate school and recruiting and retention. Communications support, operations center augmentation and security assistance are some of the many different mission sets the VDF provides as the all-volunteer auxiliary to the Virginia National Guard authorized by the Code of Virginia... MORE

VDF displays capabilities at Coast Guard Auxiliary Conference
February 27, 2018 — Members of the Virginia Defense Force displayed communications capabilities to members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Feb. 24, 2018, in Williamsburg. Virginia. VDF volunteers staffed a recruiting display, deployed a mobile communications platform trailer and presented an information brief to provide better understanding of how the VDF supports the Virginia National Guard’s domestic mission to attendees at the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary District Five Southern Region Conference... MORE

VDF kicks off recruiting push at amateur radio convention
February 5, 2018 — The Virginia Defense Force kicked off a new recruiting push with a display at the Frostfest amateur radio show and convention Feb. 3, 2018, in Richmond, Virginia. The all-volunteer reserve of the Virginia National Guard is looking to grow from its current strength of approximately 300 personnel to its full authorized strength of 750... MORE

VDF evaluates response teams across the commonwealth
September 24, 2017 — Virginia Defense Force response teams deploy to multiple locations in the commonwealth Sept. 23, 2017, for Purple Guardian 2017 MayHem, an exercise designed to simulate the support the VDF provides to the Virginia National Guard during state active duty. Teams providing operations center augmentation, high frequency radio communications and incident management assistance as well as mobile communication platform trailers were deployed to Fort Pickett, Sandston, Lynchburg and Culpeper for a scenario-driven evaluation of personnel and equipment to include set up and exercise of organic communications equipment... MORE

Virginia Defense Force evaluates communication platforms
July 8, 2017 — The Virginia Defense Force conducted an operational readiness evaluation on the Mobile Communication Platforms it would use during emergency response operations in support of the Virginia National Guard July 8, 2017, in Lynchburg, Virginia. VDF teams were evaluated on their ability to move MCPs from their home station to a duty location, put them into operation and make contact using voice and data with a remote location. MCPs stationed in Bedford, Lynchburg, Pulaski and Richmond took part in the evaluation and established voice and data connections with the Virginia National Guard’s Joint Operations Center in Sandston, Virginia... MORE

VDF continues to test communications capabilities
June 5, 2017 — Members of the Virginia Defense Force continued to test their communications capabilities June 3, 2017, at locations across the state. In addition to exercising their internal networks, they also took part in the State Defense Force “United Resolve 17-1” where they established communications with the New York State Guard... MORE

Cake cutting ceremony recognizes 410th birthday of Va. National Guard, Jamestown
May 12, 2017 — A cake cutting ceremony to recognize the 410th birthday of the Virginia National Guard and Jamestown was held May 12, 2017, Sandston, Virginia. The Virginia Guard traces the heritage and traditions of Citizen-Soldier and Citizen-Airmen service to the founding of Jamestown when Capt. John Smith organized the colonists for defense. Since the colony’s founding on May 14, 1607, there has not been a day since without a military presence in Virginia to defend freedom at home and overseas... MORE

VDF volunteers keep traffic moving at Winchester festival
May 7, 2017 — Members of the Virginia Defense Force operate traffic control points and provide mission command support May 5, 2017, at the 90th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia. More than 90 members of the all-volunteer VDF from units across the state assisted local law enforcement in keeping traffic moving and operated as many as 59 TCPs during a variety of events May 5 and 6. The VDF also took advantage of the mission to train on multiple communication systems and rehearse administrative, mission command and logistics procedures they would use if they were called to state active duty to augment the Virginia National Guard... MORE

VDF conducts statewide communications exercise
February 27, 2017 — Members of the Virginia Defense Force conducted a communication exercise at multiple locations across the commonwealth Feb. 25, 2017, to test their ability to use multiple systems for voice and data communications... MORE

Va. Guard displays capabilities, commended by state leaders
January 20, 2017 — Virginia National Guard Soldiers, Airmen and members of the Virginia Defense Force displayed some of the Guard’s warfighting and domestic operations capabilities Jan. 19, 2017, outside the Virginia General Assembly building in Richmond, Virginia. Maj. Gen. Timothy P. Williams, the Adjutant General of Virginia. hosted a reception in the morning, and the Virginia National Guard Association and Virginia Guard Enlisted Association hosted a legislative reception in the evening at the Library of Virginia. Virginia Guard Soldiers, Airmen and VDF troopers were recognized in both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates, and throughout the day Governor Terry McAuliffe, First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran and members of the General Assembly commended the Virginia Guard for the organization’s service to commonwealth and country throughout the year... MORE

Virginia National Guard assists with winter storm response in Hampton Roads
January 11, 2017 — Nearly 200 members of the Virginia National Guard were on duty and ready to assist with the state’s multi-agency response to heavy snow Jan. 7-9, 2017, throughout the Hampton Roads area. Soldiers were staged and ready the morning of Jan. 7 with less than 12 hours notification, and their assistance included recovering a fire truck in Newport News and helping Virginia State Police clear abandoned vehicles in Accomack County... MORE

VDF serves as technical lead for ongoing cyber assessment mission
December 19, 2016 — Cyber security experts from the Virginia Army National Guard and Virginia Defense Force continued their weeklong vulnerability assessments Dec. 13-16, 2016, and for the first time a member of the VDF served as the technical lead for the mission. 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, and this was the seventh conducted since March... MORE

VDF supports WWII commemoration event in Richmond
December 10, 2016 — Members of the Virginia Defense Force volunteered their time to support University of Richmond Police with traffic control and assisting veterans at the Virginia World War II 75th Anniversary Commemoration Tribute to Veterans Dec. 8, 2016, in Richmond, Virginia... MORE

VDF exercise tests commo systems, response capabilities
November 7, 2016 — Members of the Virginia Defense Force tested multiple communications systems and response capabilities Nov. 5, 2016, in Lynchburg, Virginia, during Forward Guardian 2017, a multi-state, multi-agency communication exercise. VDF troops deployed to locations across the state to operate multiple systems and response capabilities including high frequency radio, Statewide Agencies Radio System, incident management assistance and operation of Mobile Communications Platform trailers... MORE

VDF trains, evaluates communication teams
September 26, 2016 — Members of the Virginia Defense Force conducted training and evaluation on multiple communications systems Sept. 24, 2016, at Fort Pickett, Virginia, to ensure they are ready to provide support to the Virginia National Guard during domestic operations. VDF troops organized into response teams provide capabilities like high frequency radio, Statewide Agencies Radio System, incident management assistance and operation of Mobile Communications Platform trailers, and all of those capabilities were evaluated... MORE

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