'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, […]
National Guard Apache Helicopter Crashes in Mississippi Killing Two Crew Members

A Mississippi National Guard AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed in the northern part of the state near Booneville on Friday afternoon, a service component spokesperson confirmed. Two Guardsmen who were on board were killed in the mishap and safety crews were at the scene, according to a statement from Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves. The names […]
Texas National Guard Seizes Section of Southern Border as Feds Appeal to Supreme Court

This article was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. The Texas National Guard and state troopers have blocked U.S. Border Patrol agents from a 2.5-mile stretch of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, preventing […]
National Guardsman Arrested at Fort Liberty for Allegedly Trying to Arrange a Revenge Murder over Mother’s Death

A Raleigh man was arrested Saturday morning for trying to hire someone to kill a man involved in a fatal highway crash that killed his mother almost eight years ago. Rhett Michael Barlow, 22, was arrested at Fort Liberty by the Wake Forest Police Department and the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division. Barlow is accused of soliciting to murder Donald Caulder Jr. […]
Alabama National Guard Leader Says World More Dangerous Than Any Time Since World War II

Brigadier General David Pritchett, an Alabama native and Auburn University graduate, was recognized as the new adjutant general of the Alabama National Guard at a change of command ceremony in Montgomery on Friday, Jan. 5. Pritchett takes over the leadership position from Major General Sheryl Gordon, who retired after more than six years as adjutant general. Pritchett, who started his military career with the Marine Corps in […]
Army Officer Alleges Retaliation over Testimony on Slow National Guard Response to Jan. 6

A colonel who was the top lawyer for the D.C. National Guard during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection is accusing Army officials of retaliating against him for disputing two generals’ account of why the National Guard was slow to deploy during the attack on the Capitol. In a whistleblower reprisal complaint filed in October and […]