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-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.

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 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.

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. 

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-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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.