Walz’s Exit From Minnesota National Guard Left Openings for Critics to Pounce on His Military Record
WASHINGTON (AP) — John Kolb, a retired Minnesota National Guard colonel, knew Tim Walz by reputation as an “excellent leader” who adroitly guided the enlisted troops in his field artillery battalion. But Kolb was stunned by what he saw when Walz left the military and entered politics. Walz retired from the National Guard in 2005 […]
National Guard Units Activated in Southeast as Tropical Storm Debby Floods Towns, Claims Lives
Thousands of National Guardsmen throughout the Southeastern coast from Florida to North Carolina have been activated as now-Tropical Storm Debby barrels north, flooding communities, spawning tornadoes and claiming lives along the way. As of Thursday morning, a total of nearly 4,000 Guardsmen had been activated, Lt. Col. Devin T. Robinson, a Pentagon spokesperson, told Military.com. […]
National Guard Has New Acting Boss as Nominations Sit in Senate
Army Lt. Gen. Jonathan Stubbs took over Saturday as the acting head of the National Guard Bureau while it waits for the Senate to confirm a permanent leader, the Guard said in a press release Monday. Stubbs, a prior-enlisted infantry officer who rose to become adjutant general of the Arkansas National Guard in January 2023, […]
National Guard Chief, VA Benefits Fix, Military Pay Raise: Here's What's Still on Congress' To-Do List as Recess Starts
The National Guard will be without a Senate-confirmed leader until at least September after the Senate left for a five-week summer break without taking action to approve a new chief. The National Guard vacancy is just one item in a stack of unfinished military and veterans-related business facing Congress as lawmakers head home for the […]
National Guard Not Asked to Beef Up Presence at Republican Convention After Assassination Attempt
Pentagon officials say they have not been asked to provide any additional security support to the Republican national convention in Milwaukee this week following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump on Saturday. The National Guard is providing around 1,700 Guardsmen, as well as a small number of active-duty troops, but that the effort was pre-planned, […]
'Lack of Respect': Army National Guard Criticized by Lawmakers for Bungling Enlistment Bonus Payments
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is demanding answers from the Army National Guard on its plans to pay delinquent enlistment bonuses to the thousands of soldiers who are owed. In a letter Tuesday to Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the National Guard’s top officer, Reps. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz.; Mike Waltz, R-Fla.; and Trent Kelly, R-Miss., questioned […]
The Army National Guard Owes Thousands of Former Soldiers Unpaid Bonuses. It's Asking Them to Figure It Out.
Thousands of former Army National Guard soldiers were mailed letters from the service component asking them to figure out whether they are owed unpaid bonuses, according to internal documents reviewed by Military.com. The Guard letters went to former soldiers who may have never received their promised enlistment bonus after the service component got behind on […]
A Week After Suspending Reenlistment Bonuses, Army National Guard Says It Found Money to Reinstate the Incentives
The Army National Guard restarted issuing reenlistment bonuses on March 8, just a week after the program was suspended due to service planners miscalculating funding. The service announced the move in a memo the day before, saying “states may resume the issuance of reenlistment bonuses. This is inclusive of all contracts with a future payment […]
National Guard Temporarily Suspends Reenlistment Bonuses Due to Lack of Funding
Guardsmen looking to reenlist soon might want to consider holding out for a few more drill weekends, as the service component’s reenlistment incentives have been put on hold, according to an internal memo to the force reviewed by Military.com. “Effective immediately, the issuance of reenlistment bonuses is suspended,” the March 1 memo said. The suspension […]
National Guard Grounds All of Its Helicopters Following Apache Crash in Mississippi that Killed 2 Soldiers
The Army National Guard has temporarily grounded all of its helicopters after back-to-back AH-64 Apache helicopter crashes this month, one of which was fatal for the two pilots. Last week, an Apache crashed in northern Mississippi, killing its two-soldier crew. In a separate incident Feb. 12, there was another Apache crash near Salt Lake City, […]