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 ...

by Maj. Ben Hughes FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — Governor Wes Moore and Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, the 31st adjutant general of Maryland, hosted the Maryland National Guard’s activation ceremony for the 628th Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion at historic Fort Washington Park, located along the Potomac River in Prince George’s County, Sept. 13, 2026. The 628th IEW Battalion provides multi-domain ...

by Staff Sgt. Laura Weaver BALTIMORE – The Maryland National Guard held its annual Fallen Warrior Memorial ceremony the day after the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 at the 5th Regiment Armory as a tribute to service members who died in defense of the nation, September 12, 2026. Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, the adjutant general of Maryland, ...

by Maj. Ben Hughes EDGEWOOD, Md. — Approximately 80 soldiers from the Maryland Army National Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 29th Combat Aviation Brigade, gathered August 28, 2026, at Maj. Gen. Warren D. Hodges Readiness Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground-South for a departure ceremony ahead of their mobilization to the nation’s southern border. The ceremony, hosted by Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, ...

By Capt. Dylan Bradford VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Maryland Army National Guard cyber professionals simultaneously tested other National Guard cyber teams and sharpened their own defensive capabilities during two cyber exercises at the Virginia Beach State Military Reservation from July 25 to Aug. 8, 2026. Cyber Protection Team 169 participated in Cyber Velocity, a certification exercise, and Cyber Fortress, a defensive cyber ...

By Capt. Dylan Bradford LAREDO, Texas — Far from their homes in Maryland, Soldiers with the Maryland Army National Guard’s 1729th Support Maintenance Company are supporting the Department of Homeland Security as part of Joint Task Force Southern Border, helping provide detection and monitoring capabilities alongside federal and state partners along the U.S.-Mexico border. The mission places Maryland citizen-Soldiers shoulder to shoulder ...

By Capt. Dylan Bradford SALISBURY, Md. — The Maryland Army National Guard completed the relocation of the 200th Military Police Company to Salisbury July 22, returning the historic unit to Maryland’s Eastern Shore after nearly two decades in central Maryland. The company’s lineage traces back to May 8, 1923, when it received federal recognition in Pocomoke City as an infantry unit assigned ...

Story by Maj. Benjamin Hughes BALTIMORE — Two hundred and fifty Soldiers and Airmen were sworn into the Maryland National Guard by Gov. Wes Moore and Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, adjutant general of Maryland, during a historic ceremony celebrating America’s 250th birthday at the Fifth Regiment Armory, July 17, 2026. The ceremony brought together new Guard members taking the oath of enlistment ...

ADELPHI, Md. — The Maryland Army National Guard’s 629th Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion welcomed a new commander during a change of command ceremony at the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory headquartered at the Adelphi Laboratory Center, July 13, 2026. Lt. Col. David P. Scott assumed command of the battalion from Lt. Col. Joseph D. Pieper during a ceremony officiated by Col. ...

by Staff Sgt. Olivia Lauer RAPLA, Estonia – Four U.S. Army National Guard Soldiers and one U.S. Air National Guard Airman from the Maryland National Guard participated in a color guard detail during the Estonian Victory Day Parade in Rapla, Estonia, June 23, 2026. The annual Estonian Victory Day commemorates their victory in the Battle of Võnnu in 1919 during Estonia’s ...

by Staff Sgt. Thomas Lamb TALLINN, Estonia – NATO allies from 32 partner countries participated in Vigorous Warrior 26 at training sites across Estonia from 8-20 June 2026. The Vigorous Warrior exercise series is organized by the NATO Centre of Excellence for Military Medicine every two years. It allows participating NATO and partner nations to exercise together in a realistic scenario, providing ...