Guardsmen Patrolling DC Will Soon Be Armed, Pentagon Says
National Guardsmen patrolling Washington, D.C., as part of President Donald Trump’s purported crackdown on crime will soon be armed, the Pentagon said Friday. “At the direction of the secretary of defense, JTF-DC members supporting the mission to lower the crime rate in our nation’s capital will soon be on mission with their service-issued weapons, consistent […]
Guardsmen Pulled off LA Mission as State Warns Troops Are 'Stretched Thin' Amid Wildfire Season
Some National Guardsmen deployed by President Donald Trump to Los Angeles last month in response to anti-immigration enforcement protests will be taken off the deployment as California readies for an active, potentially life-threatening wildfire season. U.S. Northern Command said in a statement Tuesday that approximately 150 members of the California National Guard were released from […]
Request for 20,000 Guardsmen to Help with Immigration Crackdown Under Review, Guard Chief Says
The Defense Department is reviewing a request from the Department of Homeland Security for 20,000 National Guardsmen to help with the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts, the chief of National Guard Bureau told lawmakers Tuesday. At a House hearing Tuesday, Gen. Steven Nordhaus was asked about a report last week in The New York Times […]
Virginia Guard Says It's Investigating Guardsmen Running a Rural Anti-Government Militia
The Virginia National Guard confirmed that it has launched an investigation into two soldiers who have espoused anti-government views while running a county militia in the state. Last week, Military.com reported that two Guardsmen — Staff Sgts. Daniel Abbott and Alexandra Griffeth — are running the Campbell County Militia, which operates in the countryside around […]
2 Virginia Guardsmen Are Running a Rural Anti-Government Militia
Two Virginians run a local county-approved militia, one that has made overt threats against the government. They also both happen to be top-performing noncommissioned officers in the Virginia Army National Guard, serving the very government one of them has repeatedly warned is drifting toward tyranny. It’s a seemingly contradictory set of roles that likely runs […]
2 Georgia Guardsmen Die in Noncombat-Related Incidents in Iraq
Two junior enlisted Georgia National Guardsmen died Wednesday in Iraq, the Army announced Friday. Spc. Travis Pameni, 23, and Spc. Owen Elliot, 23, both died in noncombat-related incidents, according to Army officials. “Both of these soldiers selflessly served our state and nation,” Maj. Gen. Dwayne Wilson, the adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard, said […]
'Absolutely Fed Up': Senator Mulls Ways to Force Pentagon to Boost Incentive Pay for Guardsmen and Reservists
Two and a half years ago, Congress passed a law guaranteeing National Guardsmen and reservists would get the same amount of incentive pay for special skills as their active-duty counterparts. But the Pentagon still has not implemented that law, and one of the key senators who advocated for the change says her patience is running […]
'Existential Threat': Air Guardsmen Slam Proposal to Move Their Units to Space Force
Air National Guard leaders and enlisted Guardsmen on Friday called a legislative proposal to move units focused on space missions to the Space Force a threat to their existence and also said many of those personnel would rather retire or retrain into another job instead. In a media roundtable with reporters, officers and enlisted from […]
New York Guardsmen Accused of Sexually Exploiting Asylum Seekers Housed in Hotel
A federal lawsuit accuses at least five New York National Guardsmen and public contract workers of sexually exploiting asylum seekers. Seven migrants allege numerous incidents of sexual exploitation at a Quality Inn in Cheektowaga, outside of Buffalo — part of the state’s effort to house a flood of asylum seekers coming into the country as […]
After 9,000 Guardsmen Weren’t Paid Owed Bonuses, House Lawmakers Say They Want Answers
Following a report published by Military.com detailing the National Guard’s failure to pay over 9,000 soldiers their signing bonuses, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers has sent a letter to the National Guard’s commanding officer, demanding answers for the lack of accountability and to know when the service members will get their bonuses. Penned by […]