Michigan National Guard

Northern Agility 22-1 to champion ACE, innovation for Air Force
June 21, 2022 — From June 27-29, the Michigan Air National Guard will host exercise Northern Agility 22-1 at Sawyer International Airport, Hanley Field and a closed portion of M-28 in Alger County, Michigan. The exercise, held in partnership with Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Michigan State Police and local agencies, will champion Agile Combat Employment, a universal application to U.S. Air Force operations that enables Airmen to deliver air power anytime, anywhere to complicate an adversary’s decision making. This progressive readiness event will mark the first time ever in the U.S. that integrated combat turns (ICTs) will be performed during highway-based operations. Northern Agility 22-1 will also integrate innovative technologies through the Kelly Johnson Joint All-Domain Innovation Center to prepare Airmen for the future warfight... MORE

Michigan National Guard and DNR collaborate on unprecedented engineering projects
June 15, 2022 — Approximately 100 Soldiers from the 1430th Engineer Company (1430th EN CO), 107th Engineer Battalion (107th EN BN), Michigan National Guard (MING), conducted multiple engineering projects at Otsego Lake State Park and Young State Park from June 5 – 16, 2022... MORE

Approximately 100 Soldiers from the 1430th Engineer Company (1430th EN CO), 107th Engineer Battalion (107th EN BN), Michigan National Guard (MING), conducted multiple engineering projects at Otsego Lake State Park and Young State Park from June 5 – 16, 2022. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Cpt. Joe Legros)

New ANG exercise tests ACE in Northern Michigan
June 7, 2022 — Air National Guard (ANG) Airmen and aircraft from more than 12 states will converge June 4-18 for the first annual Air National Guard (ANG) Readiness Exercise (REX) Program event, Agile Rage 22. This exercise is hosted at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, as part of the National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC) in Northern Michigan. Agile Rage focuses on Air National Guard training priorities and future warfighting concepts. Most notably, Agile Rage brings to the forefront Agile Combat Employment (ACE) capabilities and tests Airmen in an austere combat environment... MORE

Integrated Combat Turn Training during Agile Rage 22

110th Wing Changes Commanders
June 4, 2022 — Col. Daniel J. Kramer II assumed command of the 110th Wing during a change of command ceremony at Battle Creek Air National Guard Base (ANGB), June 4, 2022... MORE

MIANG, AFSOC to touch down on Upper Peninsula highway
June 2, 2022 — From June 27-29, the Michigan Air National Guard (ANG) will partner with Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), the Michigan Department of Transportation, and local agencies to host exercise “Northern Agility 22-1,” which prepares military aircrews for operations in austere environments under the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) doctrine. Northern Agility 22-1 will showcase A-10 Thunderbolt II, AFSOC MC-12W and U-28A aircraft conducting agile combat employment at Sawyer International Airport and on a closed portion of M-28 east of Munising. Northern Agility 22-1 will focus on contested logistics and the ability to conduct Integrated Combat Turns (ICTs) in an austere environment... MORE

Active, Guard and Reserve Soldiers attend Fort Custer vehicle recovery course
May 23, 2022 — AUGUSTA, Mich.—Soldiers assigned to all three components of the Army came together to attend a wheeled vehicle recovery course held at the Regional Training Site-Maintenance (RTS-M) at Fort Custer Training Center. Located at the 7,500-acre Michigan National Guard base, the RTS-M runs approximately 24 classes and averages 396 students per year... MORE

Soldiers with the Army active, Reserve, and National Guard components attend a vehicle recovery course at the Regional Training Site-Maintenance (RTS-M), 177th Regiment, Regional Training Institute, Fort Custer Training Center, Augusta, Michigan, May 19, 2022. With 13 training centers available throughout the Army, Michigan’s RTS-M runs approximately 24 classes and averages 396 students per year. The RTS-M has added unique training to the wheeled vehicle recovery course which includes land navigation to locate disabled vehicles. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Eichaker)

Ukrainian emigrant serves as a Michigan Army National Guard Soldier
May 19, 2022 — AUGUSTA, Mich.,—People join the military for a variety of reasons ranging from educational and insurance benefits, or to simply travel. One Michigan Army National Guard Soldier, who emigrated from Ukraine, joined to give back to the U.S., which has provided for his family. “I was born and raised in Kyiv, Ukraine, when it was part of the Soviet Union before gaining its independence,” said Sgt. 1st Class Sergey Zelenskiy, senior instructor with the 177th Regiment, Regional Training Institute, Michigan Army National Guard. “While I lived in Ukraine, I finished my degree in railroad engineering and began operating cargo and passenger trains before switching to subway trains.”... MORE

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Sergey Zelenskiy, a senior instructor with the 177th Regiment, Regional Training Institute, Michigan Army National Guard, poses for a photo at Fort Custer Training Center, Augusta, Michigan, May 10, 2022. Zelenskiy an emigrant from Kyiv, Ukraine, joined the Michigan Army National Guard in 2007 and as a senior instructor, teaches Advanced Leadership Course, Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic Course, Rough Terrain Container Handler, and Combat Recovery for Wheeled Vehicles. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Eichaker)

Virtual workshop unites Public Affairs from Michigan National Guard, Latvia and Liberia
May 12, 2022 — More than 25 Public Affairs specialists from the Michigan National Guard, Latvian National Armed Forces, and the Armed Forces of Liberia teamed up April 12-22 to hold a virtual storytelling workshop under the U.S. National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. This trilateral cooperation is the sixth event in a series of storytelling workshops initiated by colleagues in Michigan and Latvia in 2019. After four in-person events in 2019, the series went virtual in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This online environment is opening new opportunities for the program in 2022... MORE

Staff Sgt. Jacob Cessna, attends the Trilateral Public Affairs workshop from his home in Lansing, Michigan, April 6, 2022.More than 25 Public Affairs specialists from the Michigan National Guard, Latvian National Armed Forces, and the Armed Forces of Liberia teamed up April 12-22 to hold a virtual storytelling workshop under the U.S. National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Cessna)

Michigan National Guard supports Coast Guard, Federal, State and local agencies for Mackinac active shooter exercise
May 10, 2022 — From April 26-27, Martzke represented the Michigan National Guard at a full-scale area maritime security exercise called Straits Shield 22, led by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector, Sault Ste. Marie. Straits Shield validates local, state and regional response plans by simulating an active shooter aboard a ferry vessel to Mackinac Island, a popular summer tourist destination off the coast of Lake Huron... MORE

A U.S. Army UH-72 Lakota helicopter assigned to the Michigan Army National Guard’s 112th Aviation Regiment, Grand Ledge Army Aviation Support Facility, provides overwatch for a simulated active shooter incident on Lake Huron during exercise Straits Shield 22, April 27, 2022. The U.S. Coast Guard, Michigan State Police, Michigan National Guard, and other agencies joined together at Straits Shield 22 to improve the effectiveness multiagency response plans and Sault region maritime security plans. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Cessna)

Michigan National Guard Soldier advances through career progression
May 10, 2022 — WYOMING, Mich.—Career progression is an important part of military growth and development as a Michigan Army National Guard Soldier found out first hand. After graduating high school, Warrant Officer Carl Merchant, a wage leader at the Grand Valley Armory, followed his family tradition and enlisted in the U.S. Army as an active duty Soldier. His father and grandfather served a combined 31 years in the Army, molding the mind of Merchant to continue their legacy... MORE

U.S. Army Warrant Officer Carl Merchant, wage leader, Michigan Army National Guard, who recently graduated from Warrant Officer Candidate School, poses for a photo at the Grand Valley Armory, Wyoming, Michigan, May 3, 2022. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. David Eichaker)