Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging a previously convicted felon of a firearm crime after he allegedly opened fire outside a downtown Salt Lake City bar where two people were shot.
Source: United States Army
FORT POLK, La. — Soldiers from the Florida Army National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment trained alongside the 82nd Airborne Division during a combat training center rotation 15-20 March, marking the first time a Guard unit has integrated into an active-duty rotation under the National Guard’s new Minuteman Rotation concept.
The Minuteman concept aligns National Guard annual training with combat training center rotations, allowing units to meet their 15-day requirement while operating alongside active-duty formations. Leaders said the approach increases readiness and interoperability across the total force.
Senior Army National Guard leaders visited the rotation March 19-20, including Director of the Army National Guard, Lt. Gen. Jon M. Stubbs and Command Sgt. Maj. James (Brian) Kendrick, along with Florida Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. John D. Haas and Command Sgt. Maj. Robert F. Sweat. The visit highlighted the integration of Guard forces into active-duty training and the expansion of opportunities for Guard units to train in high-intensity environments.
“This is about building a total force that can close with and destroy the enemy,” Stubbs said during the visit. “What we are seeing here is a National Guard battalion fully integrated with an active-duty brigade, delivering a capability that is critical on today’s battlefield.”
At JRTC, often referred to as “the box,” units contend with a near-peer opposing force, limited resources and extended operations. The environment tests a unit’s ability to operate under stress while maintaining command and control across dispersed terrain.
The Florida battalion provided short-range air defense capabilities during the rotation, focusing on countering unmanned aircraft systems and low-altitude threats. Soldiers employed Sentinel radar and Avenger air defense systems while repositioning with maneuver elements to protect command posts, logistics nodes and key terrain.
A live battery moved with the brigade throughout the exercise, while the battalion headquarters operated as a division-level air defense element in a simulated environment. Leaders said the integration allowed the unit to train as it would fight in a real-world conflict.
Army Lt. Col. Adam Bailey, commander of 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery, said the unit prepared for the rotation through multiple command post exercises with the 82nd Airborne Division before arriving at JRTC.
“Coming to JRTC, we rapidly integrated into division’s scheme of maneuver and protection plan. That enabled us to execute a true Short Range Air Defense (SHORAD) mission in support of a division,” he added.
The Panther Brigade’s dispersed operations increased exposure to aerial threats, particularly small drones capable of disrupting command and control or target sustainment operations.
Army Col. Daniel Leard, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, said the Army Guard unit filed a critical capability gap.
“Air defense is a critical enabler – we could not have executed our mission without them,” Leard said. “The Soldiers of 3-265 ADA integrated with our team on the fly. They were experts on their systems and that made an immediate impact.”
The Army National Guard’s Minuteman Rotation aligns annual training with combat training center rotations, enabling units to build readiness in a high-intensity environment alongside active-duty forces.
Kendrick, who previously served as the command sergeant major of the Florida National Guard, said the training reflects how the force will operate in future conflicts.
“This is exactly where our Soldiers need to be,” Kendrick said. “Training at this level, with this kind of realism, ensures they are ready to deploy and fight as part of a larger team.”
The approach does not replace traditional Army National Guard rotations but expands access to high-end training while supporting Soldiers’ civilian careers, education and communities. Stubbs said the goal is to integrate a Guard element into every combat training center rotation.
For junior soldiers, the experience highlighted the pace and complexity of modern warfare.
Army Sgt. Jason Dumervile, Headquarter and Headquarters Battery, said the experience changed how he views his role.
“You see how everything connects,” he said. “We are not just protecting ourselves — we are protecting the whole brigade so they can accomplish their mission.”
Florida leaders said the battalion’s performance demonstrated the value of integrating Guard units into active-duty training environments as the Army adapts to evolving threats.
“I’m incredibly proud of our Florida Guardsmen,” said Haas. “They’re highly disciplined and have benefitted from great leadership to ensure they’re trained and ready.”
Related Links
The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil
State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil
The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com/TheNationalGuard
The National Guard on Flickr | Flickr.com/TheNationalGuard
The National Guard on Instagram | Instagram.com/us.nationalguard
The National Guard on X | X.com/USNationalGuard
The National Guard on YouTube | YouTube.com/TheNationalGuard
Source: United States Army
PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. (Apr 1, 2026) – The Presidio of Monterey Chaplain Family Life Center recently expanded its counseling services to include neurofeedback brain optimization therapy. The noninvasive brain-training approach supports service members and their families facing stress, trauma and high performance demands.
Neurofeedback therapy uses real-time monitoring of brain activity to help regulate brainwave patterns associated with focus, sleep, stress and emotional regulation. The therapy is offered through the Chaplain Family Life Center, a professional counseling center within the Religious Support Office that provides confidential, non-medical support to service members and their families.
Maj. Daniel Melin, PoM’s family life chaplain and a licensed marriage and family therapist, said the decision to pursue neurofeedback training grew out of his professional education and research on trauma and neurodivergence while attending the Chaplain Family Life Training Center. Neurofeedback rose to the top as a tool that could help address challenges commonly faced by military members and families in high-stress environments.
“Neurofeedback gives us another way to support people whose brains are working overtime,” Melin said. “Many of the challenges we see in a military environment like sleep disruption, chronic stress and difficulty concentrating, are tied to how the brain is functioning, not a lack of effort or motivation.”
At the Presidio of Monterey, home to the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, service members face academically rigorous training and sustained performance demands. Neurofeedback therapy complements existing counseling services by supporting cognitive performance and emotional regulation, contributing to increased readiness and resilience within the military community.
Participants who engaged in twice-weekly sessions for several weeks reported benefits such as improved focus, reduced stress and increased daily confidence.
“When I first started neurofeedback training, I felt defeated, like my brain and life were fundamentally broken,” said one foreign area officer language student. “Neurofeedback training gave me hope that I could change the narrative. By trusting the system and working with Chaplain Melin, I have regained my footing and rediscovered the confidence I feared was lost.”
One DLIFLC faculty member reported being surprised with how much neurofeedback helped improve her chronic headaches and lower her anxiety and stress levels.
“I would strongly encourage other students or faculty in similar situations dealing with headaches, attention difficulties, stress, anxiety, or sleep issues to give neurofeedback a try,” she said. “It has been a valuable and supportive tool for both well-being and performance.”
Neurofeedback therapy aligns with the chaplain mission to provide holistic support for spiritual, emotional and relational well-being. Army Regulation 165-1 authorizes family life chaplains to provide clinical counseling interventions in support of Soldier and family readiness. Melin said the long-term goal is to continue expanding the capability to keep up with the demands of the Monterey military community, including military spouses.
“I consider the neurofeedback program to be a great blessing to our whole family,” said one military spouse. “Getting into the neurofeedback program has helped me navigate the challenges of military life with much more calmness and focus and it has improved my relationship with my family.”
Another military spouse credited neurofeedback with regaining her confidence and sense of regulation.
“For anyone considering neurofeedback, I would want them to understand that functioning well under pressure is not an absence of emotion, but the absence of dis-regulation. There is no substitute for learning to self-regulate; thankfully, there is hope and a faster way to feel better with neuroscience.”
Service members and families interested in learning more about neurofeedback brain optimization therapy, individual, marriage and family counseling, EMDR trauma therapy or trauma releasing exercises can contact the Chaplain Family Life Center for additional information. All CFLC counseling services are available for DoD cardholders and dependents. For contact information, visit https://home.army.mil/monterey/my-fort/all-services/chaplains-1
Source: United States Army
GREENVILLE, Ky. – Soldiers with the 103rd Brigade Support Battalion strengthened combat readiness March 20-21 at Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center, qualifying on weapons systems and refining the logistical capabilities essential to sustaining operations in any environment.
The battalion focused on maintaining overall readiness through a series of demanding exercises.
“This weekend we had our Soldiers qualify on their rifles, pistols, and crew-served weapons,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Emily O’Conner, the battalion’s personnel officer. “Staying qualified and skilled at shooting is a basic soldiering task that improves our unit readiness.”
Sixty-seven Soldiers qualified on the M4 carbine, M17 pistol and crew-served weapons throughout the weekend. Weapons qualification remains a fundamental soldiering task critical to ensuring operational effectiveness and lethality.
“We completed our officer evaluation reports, as well as our non-commissioned officer evaluation reports this weekend, which let us evaluate leaders in the organization and guide their development,” she said.
The training also tested the battalion’s logistical capabilities, with Soldiers successfully managing supply, maintenance and distribution operations under demanding conditions.
“It’s this behind-the-scenes work that truly enables the rest of the units we train to support focus on warfighting tasks,” said O’Conner. “I’m grateful for the hard work of our Soldiers; their dedication to mastering these essential support roles is the foundation of our success.”
The training reinforced that mastering the fundamentals is the foundation of readiness. The successful execution of logistics, maintenance and range operations reflected a shared commitment to excellence from every Soldier. That dedication to the basics ensures the 103rd BSB remains a ready, lethal and prepared force capable of meeting missions at home and abroad.
Related Links
The Official Website of the National Guard | NationalGuard.mil
State Partnership Program | NationalGuard.mil
The National Guard on Facebook | Facebook.com/TheNationalGuard
The National Guard on Flickr | Flickr.com/TheNationalGuard
The National Guard on Instagram | Instagram.com/us.nationalguard
The National Guard on X | X.com/USNationalGuard
The National Guard on YouTube | YouTube.com/TheNationalGuard
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Jose Francisco Cardoso Tehovnik, 23, of Orlando, Florida, who was convicted of receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 132 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that John Peterson, 42, of Jamestown, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with distribution and possession of child pornography by a person with a prior child pornography conviction, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
MIGUEL FRANCISCO GUZMAN, 31, of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 168 months of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release for child exploitation and drug distribution offenses.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Damion Alexander Peddie, 54, a Jamaican citizen who previously had been convicted of multiple drug trafficking offenses and removed from the United States on at least five prior occasions, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 122 months in federal prison in connection with possessing a cache of weapons and narcotics and for illegally re-entering the country.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Wyatt Op Maloney, 24, of Tuba City, Ariz. was sentenced on March 26, 2026, by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to 144 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Maloney previously pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
PROVIDENCE –Two individuals have pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island for their roles in orchestrating and executing a transnational fraud and money laundering scheme targeting elderly victims in the United States and Canada, announced United States Attorney Charles C. Calenda.