Four days, over 90 miles, and the rapidly changing terrain, thick with the opposing force, is exactly what 29, four-person teams faced during this year’s Admiral Pitka Recon Challenge in Jõgevamaa, Estonia from July 30 to August 3, 2018. The teams, which ranged from Estonian members to members of NATO allied countries, had ...

The Estonian Defence Forces held a ceremony August 1, 2018, officially activating their own, independent cyber command which created an organization within the EDF that is solely dedicated to cyber operations and information operations. “This puts them on the world stage as one of the few nations to actually have a military ...

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. — Spc.. Gerald L. Villamar, 33 years old, from the Laurel, Maryland based  629th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion, placed third in the 2018 U.S. Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition from July 22 – 27, 2018. 

The U.S. and NATO service members assigned to Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Role 2 hospital, a NATO hospital, recently spent their spare time training Force Protection service members in the art of Tactical Combat Casualty Care.

The Maryland Army National Guard hosted the change of command and change of responsibility ceremony at the historic 5th Regiment Armory in Baltimore, Maryland on June 2, 2018. Col. Janeen L. Birckhead assumed command of the Maryland Army National Guard from Brig. Gen. Timothy E. Gowen. Command Sgt. Maj. James M. Nugent assumed responsibility as the senior enlisted leader of ...

Thirty Maryland National Guard soldiers from the 629th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion recently supported U.S. Army Europe’s intel operations during Joint Warfighting Assessment 18.1, an exercise that tested readiness, interoperability, and future force development at Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels Training Areas, Germany. Focused primarily on the military intel mission of the exercise, ...

Maryland National Guard soldiers and airmen supported the Estonian defense forces May 2 – 12 during Exercise Hedgehog 2018, the largest training exercise conducted in Estonia. Focused on territorial defense, as well as special operations capabilities, the exercise brought together elements of the Estonian Defence League, Women’s Home Defence League, and ...

TARTU, Estonia —The 175th Wing’s Cyber Operations Group from Warfield Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Maryland, supported the Estonian Defence League’s cyber defense unit May 2-12 during Exercise HEDGEHOG, also known as Siil 2018. The Maryland and Estonian cyber warfare operators used the exercise as an opportunity to leverage their ...

Six figures, in suits with protective masks, move through broken concrete and debris with scanning devices. This however is not the opening scene of the newest science fiction movie, it is partners training to save lives.

For members of the Army and Air National Guard, partnerships have been and will continue to be a critical and enduring focus. While each relationship has its own unique and sometimes complex intricacies, they serve to ensure America’s safety and strengthen global peace and security.