Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: United States Army

WASHINGTON — Army Col. Frank Rubio will return to space for the second time, joining a four-person crew on the Artemis III mission as part of NASA’s ultimate goal to return humans to the moon and to maintain U.S superiority in exploration, NASA announced Tuesday.

But this expedition will be notably different from Rubio’s first space voyage, during which the Soldier spent a year aboard the International Space Station for scientific study and research. The astronaut will have only a year to 18 months to prepare for the two-week voyage, during which the crew will simulate critical docking capabilities and perform various flight maneuvers.

The crew will launch the Orion spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, in late 2027, an important step before the Artemis IV mission in 2028, which is scheduled to land on the moon’s South Pole.

NASA named Rubio as mission specialist 1; he will be joined by retired Marine Corps Col. Randy Bresnik as commander, Coast Guard Reserve Cmdr. Andre Douglas as mission specialist 2 and Italian Air Force Col. Luca Parmitano as pilot.

The last time circumstances tested Rubio’s resolve, it resulted in the longest ever recorded spaceflight in U.S. history. During a scheduled six-month mission in December 2022, the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft carrying Rubio and two cosmonauts suffered a fuel leak, pushing Rubio’s return date to September 2023. The Soldier spent 371 days in space, traveling more than 157 million miles and completing 5,963 Earth orbits during Expeditions 68 and 69.

“I tend to thrive trying to attempt challenges and trying to overcome things,” Rubio said. “And [Artemis III] is going to be a very difficult goal of completing this mission in about a year, to a year and a half. We have a lot of work to do, lots to learn, lots of development to do, but I think we’re up for it as a NASA team and as a nation.”

During Artemis III, the crew will test Orion systems while launching the world’s most powerful rockets. While remaining in low earth orbit about 290 miles above Earth, the crew will also assess the hardware of Orion and commercial lunar landing systems, paving the way for landing on the lunar surface. The astronauts will also test the durability of the Axiom extravehicular mobility unit. This next-generation space suit improves mobility and flexibility while keeping astronauts cool during deep space exploration.

Rubio said Artemis III may not have the visibility of touching down on the moon, but the mission still presents a daunting challenge.

“We’re going to have three rockets that need to launch the crew and two landers, and then we’re going to have to rendezvous and dock with each of those landers,” he said. “Each of those landings is going to be affected by both weather and maintenance issues, and so coordinating all that effort in a way that enables us to test the entire system as a whole, it’s going to be a challenge.”

Rubio, a native of Miami and a former UH-60 Black Hawk pilot, accumulated more than 1,100 flight hours, including more than 600 in combat. The Soldier said that his hand-eye coordination from piloting the Black Hawk, as well as his experience working with an Army copilot and Army crew chiefs, will assist him in performing docking and rendezvous simulations with his fellow astronauts.

A 1998 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, Rubio served in various combat roles, including as a platoon leader and then later as company commander of A Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.

He also earned his jumpmaster certification as a former member of the Black Knights, West Point’s parachute team. Rubio later transitioned to the medical field, earning his doctorate in medicine and eventually serving as a battalion surgeon.

“Operating in very challenging environments, whether it’s dust landings, snow landings, multi-ship night operations, I think all of that prepares your brain to stay calm and operate in a variety of environments to include space,” Rubio said.

Source: United States Army

VILNIUS, Lithuania — When the 30th Chief of the National Guard Bureau arrived in the Baltic region this month, he was not opening a new chapter in American security cooperation, he was reinforcing the bedrock of deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank. Here, allies are taking responsibility for an increased share of the defense burden the United States expects of its closest partners.

Air Force Gen. Steven Nordhaus, CNGB, joined by Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief John Raines and the adjutants general of Maryland and Michigan, along with Pennsylvania’s deputy adjutant general-Army, traveled from Tallinn, Estonia, to Riga, Latvia, and concluded here in Vilnius.

More than 33 years ago, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia became the first three nations paired with U.S. states under what became the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program. Born in the uncertain aftermath of the Soviet collapse, the SPP has matured into one of the U.S. military’s most enduring, cost-effective and strategically agile security cooperation tools.

“The partnership between the Baltic countries and the National Guard of Maryland, Michigan and Pennsylvania is more than a military relationship, it’s an investment in deterrence,” Nordhaus said. “Our Soldiers and Airmen gain invaluable experience working alongside trusted partners, sharing expertise, strengthening readiness and building relationships that enhance security on both sides of the Atlantic.”

The State Partnership Program didn’t just start with the Baltics; it was the Baltics.

In the early 1990s, U.S. Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, then NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe and commander of U.S. European Command, sought rapid Western engagement for the newly independent Baltic countries. The National Guard provided the ideal solution. The pairings—Maryland with Estonia, Michigan with Latvia, and Pennsylvania with Lithuania, were deliberately built on deep cultural and diaspora ties.

More than three decades of sustained engagement, coupled with sharp recent increases in Baltic defense investment (with all three nations exceeding the NATO 5% GDP benchmark well ahead of schedule) have produced tangible results: highly capable, interoperable partners ready to shoulder greater responsibility for their own and the Alliance’s defense.

All three Baltic nations demonstrate unified pro-United States alignment. This is underscored by immediate support for U.S. global operations, including Operation Epic Fury.

Past combined deployments also epitomize these bilateral commitments. Estonian Air Force pilots flew UH-60 Black Hawk medical evacuation missions with Maryland Guard aviators in Afghanistan. The Pennsylvania Guard and Lithuanian Armed Forces conducted 18 co-deployments to Afghanistan. In 2009, Latvian soldiers fought alongside Michigan Guardsmen, marking the first SPP-enabled deployment into a combat zone. Two Latvian personnel killed in action on combined deployments are memorialized with fallen Michigan Soldiers in the “Hall of Honor” at Michigan’s Joint Forces Headquarters.

“What began as a state partnership has evolved into a unified operational relationship where Maryland and Estonia, Michigan and Latvia and Pennsylvania and Lithuania stand side-by-side as one force, forged by trust, sacrifice and shared service,” Raines said.

Tallinn, Estonia: Here, Nordhaus and Raines were joined by Army. Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, the adjutant general of Maryland. The Maryland–Estonia partnership operates at the cutting edge of allied capabilities, particularly in cyber defense.

Last month, more than 40 Maryland Guardsmen joined Estonian partners in Immediate Response 2026, a key cyber exercise within the Sword 26 series across the High North and Baltics. They focused on defending critical infrastructure in realistic, contested environments.

Last year, Maryland troops participated in Estonia’s largest exercise, Hedgehog, alongside over 16,000 troops from multiple NATO nations, and in Exercise Hurricane for convoy and mobilization training. Additionally, Estonian Cyber Command personnel visited Maryland for Baltic Blitz 25, while Maryland Guardsmen from the 175th Cyberspace Operations Group have supported Locked Shields—the world’s premier live-fire cyber defense exercise—at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn.

“As Estonia continues to invest heavily in its national defense and deterrence posture, the Maryland–Estonia partnership remains a proven and trusted mechanism for advancing shared security objectives and strengthening NATO readiness,” Birckhead said.

The Guard leaders met with Estonia’s defense leaders to underscore a partnership that evolved from the SPP’s original experiment into a sophisticated model for multi-domain integration and cyber resilience. Nordhaus commended Estonia’s cyber capabilities.

“Estonia is on the cutting edge of NATO cyber defense,” he said. “We learn as much from them as they do from us.”

Riga, Latvia: The Michigan National Guard’s long-standing partnership has helped shape Latvia’s military culture, procurement, NATO integration and warfighting ethos. Latvian leaders, including Maj. Gen. Kaspars Pudāns, Commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces, have repeatedly credited the partnership as foundational.

“I am grateful for the support from the U.S. in our developmental years, which has significantly contributed to the growth of our forces,” Pudāns said at a Baltic Defense College roundtable last April. “The State Partnership Program with Michigan has been particularly beneficial…”

Army Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, TAG of Michigan, joined the NGB leaders here with a deep understanding of and history with the bilateral relationship.

“This partnership is personal,” Rogers said. “The Latvians are like family members. We take it very seriously.”

In Riga, Nordhaus retraced similar steps taken by Air Force Lt. Gen. John Conaway, the 22nd Chief of the National Guard Bureau, during the National Guard’s first touchpoint with Latvia in November 1992. The 30th CNGB participated in a ceremonial wreath laying alongside Pudāns —a powerful symbol of continuity.

Pudāns spoke to what the partnership’s longevity represents and what it means for the alliance’s eastern flank.

“For more than three decades, our partnership with the Michigan National Guard has been one of practical and effective military cooperation,” Pudans said. “The experience gained through joint exercises has helped to strengthen combat readiness and interoperability with our allies.”

The Guard leaders also met with newly appointed Defense Minister Raivis Melnis, a former Latvian Armed Forces colonel who served alongside Michigan Guardsmen in combat.

“For over 30 years, our partnership with the National Guard has been a cornerstone of Latvian security, including vital support in developing the Adazi and Selija Military Training Grounds,” Melnis said in a statement.

The Guard leaders toured both bases and met with the Guardsmen of the Michigan Guard’s 107th Engineer Battalion who were assisting the Latvians—with Danish help—to build a staging and assembly area that will become the largest hub for multinational operations in the Baltics in Selija, located in southeast Latvia. This site will become a counter mobility corridor in support of the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative.

“Access to Latvian and Danish equipment has enabled realistic combined training and significantly strengthened multinational relationships and mission readiness,” said Army Capt. Phillip Halamka, commander, 1432nd Engineer Support Company, Michigan Army National Guard.

Vilnius, Lithuania: The Pennsylvania National Guard’s relationship with Lithuania has generated more than 800 engagements since 1993, spanning aviation, cyber, leadership development and joint warrior competitions.

This March, Pennsylvania Army Guard Soldiers placed second among foreign teams in Lithuania’s Best Infantry Squad Competition, reciprocating Lithuanian participation in Pennsylvania’s Best Warrior event.

The cyber dimension of the Pennsylvania–Lithuania partnership has grown equally significant.

Pennsylvania Guard cyber operators are deeply integrated with Lithuanian counterparts through the Guard’s Defensive Cyber Operations Element, a unit that has evolved from a small communications team into a dual-mission organization supporting state, federal and allied cybersecurity efforts.

Here in Vilnius, the Guard leaders met with defense leaders, closing the trip with a partnership that has grown into one of the most operational bilateral relationships in the entire SPP. The Lithuanian Armed Forces reestablished its 1st Division last year with a focus on expanding and strengthening its force.

“We love nothing better than to conduct warfighting exercises with our brothers in Lithuania,” said. Army Maj. Gen. Michael E. Wegscheider, deputy adjutant general-Army, Pennsylvania National Guard.

Additionally, NCO development is a strong element of each Baltic partnership, Raines said, especially in Lithuania. He credited Sgt. Maj. Darius Masiulis, command senior enlisted leader of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, and Command Sgt. Maj. Shawn Phillips, Pennsylvania’s CSEL, for taking this core tenet to the next level.

“Through their commitment to shared readiness and mutual respect, each leader has helped ensure that the enlisted force of both nations stands unified in purpose, capability and character wherever they are called to serve,” Raines said. “These strategic partnerships are a trusted brotherhood of Soldiers and NCOs who train, deploy and operate as one team.”

The visit to the Baltic countries was, in one sense, a milestone trip—senior leader’s recognition of partnerships that have endured across strategic shifts and more than three decades of change on Europe’s eastern flank.

It was equally forward-looking.

The State Partnership Program that was born in the Baltics now spans the globe with 116 partner nations in every geographic combatant command and on every continent but Antarctica.

“Strong partners with equal commitment are a force multiplier on the battlefield,” Nordhaus said.

When the 2026 National Defense Strategy called for allies to shoulder more of the weight of collective defense, the Baltic countries wasted no time. That reality did not emerge on its own. It was aided, engagement by engagement, over more than thirty-three years of Guard collaboration. The Citizen-Soldier and -Airman—rooted at home, committed abroad—was instrumental in making it happen.

And in the Baltics, where it all began, that instrument is still at work.

-Lt. Col. Jeffery Fritz, Instructor, Baltic Defense College, Master Sgt. David Eichaker, Michigan National Guard and Sgt. Rachel Hall, Maryland Army National Guard, contributed

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