National Guard

By Staff Sgt. Julian Kemper  175th WG – Maryland Air National Guard MIDDLE RIVER, Md. – The day before Thanksgiving, most people are thinking about a short list of things to do – ensuring the turkey is thawed, cleaning the house for a family visit, or preparing for a long trip to see relatives. For Maryland Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Brooke ...

05.27.2026Story by Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Ames 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment TALLINN, Estonia – More than 40 Maryland National Guard members participated in Immediate Response 2026, a comprehensive cyber exercise, with their Estonian counterparts at Foundation Cyber Range 14 (CR14), May 16-23, 2026. The exercise is part of Sword 26, U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s (USAREUR-AF) premier annual exercise series, which takes place ...

By Capt. Victoria Connell TALLINN, Estonia — From the outside, the Cyber Range 14 building in downtown Tallinn appears quiet, unassuming and pristine. Inside, there’s no weapons fire, no smell of gasoline or gunpowder hanging in the air. But the absence of traditional battlefield signs does not make the mission inside any less crucial. Soldiers from Information Defense Company, Multi-Domain Command – ...

By. Maj. Benjamin Hughes HAVRE DE GRACE, Md. – The Maryland Army National Guard officially opened its new Combined Support Maintenance Shop complex during a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Governor Wes Moore at the Havre de Grace Military Reservation, May 15, 2026. Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, commander of the Maryland National Guard, and Maryland Department of General Services Secretary Atif Chaudhry ...

By Staff Sgt. Lindiwe Henry. KINGWOOD, W.Va. — Less than one month ago, two Maryland Army National Guardsmen were in a grueling competition against 18 of their fellow Soldiers and Estonian Defence Force members to determine the victors who would go on to represent their state at the Region II Best Warrior Competition in West Virginia. Spc. Matthew Zrebiec, won the ...

Story by Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Schepers The Maryland National Guard held a joint ceremony where they bid farewell to the outgoing and retiring Command Sgt. Maj. David Harry, command senior enlisted leader of the Maryland National Guard, and welcomed his replacement, Command Sgt. Maj. Larry LeCates, during a change-of-responsibility ceremony at the Fifth Regiment Armory, May 2, 2026. Maryland Army National ...

by Maj. Benjamin Hughes MIDDLE RIVER, Md. – The Maryland National Guard (MDNG) supported a massive search and rescue exercise (SAREX) spanning 20 square miles of land and water, from the Loch Raven Reservoir Dam to Gunpowder Falls State Park, along with emergency responders from around the state, April 23, 2026. The MDNG Joint Staff coordinated the response of a CH-47 Chinook, ...

Story by Staff Sgt. Laura Virtue CENTRAL FINLAND – Cyber personnel from the Maryland Air National Guard partnered with allied nations across the joint force to sharpen their defensive capabilities during NATO Exercise Locked Shields 26, one of the world’s largest and most complex live-fire cyber defense exercises, April 11-25, 2026.  Twelve Airmen from the 175th Cyberspace Operations Group augmented teams from ...

  Story by Maj. Mary Lyons POZNAN, Poland – Nineteen Soldiers from the Maryland Army National Guard’s 58th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade (EMIB) worked alongside V Corps during Warfighter Exercise 26-3, a joint exercise that stretched across Germany and Poland to keep U.S. forces sharp and deepen cooperation with NATO allies on Europe’s eastern flank, March 9-23, 2026. The corps-level command post exercise, ...

  Story by Senior Airman Sarah Hoover EDGEWOOD, Md.—Maryland Army National Guard soldiers conducted medical evacuation training with two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters assigned to the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade, collaborating with local police K-9 units at Lauderick Creek Military Reservation, April 1, 2026. The event involved 30 participants, including Guard members from Company C, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, officers from the ...

Story by Maj. Michael Fedner BALTIMORE – The Maryland Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition has crowned this year’s Best Soldier and NCO. The competition concluded with Staff Sgt. Nicholas Casagrande and Spc. Matthew Zrebeic named Best Warrior in the NCO and Soldier categories, respectively, during the closing ceremony held in Reisterstown, Maryland, April 12, 2026. Although Casagrande, a combat engineer assigned ...