Category: Security

Source: United States Army

DRAWSKO, Poland — Soldiers with the 30th Medical Brigade conducted a rail casualty evacuation exercise during SWORD 26, May 11-15, to prepare Army medicine for the realities of large-scale combat operations across Europe.

The training, conducted under the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, tested the use of rail transportation as a casualty evacuation platform while integrating multinational medical personnel, host-nation rail systems and NATO interoperability standards.

“We need to make sure that we’re looking at multimodal transportation for casualty evacuation during large-scale combat operations,” said Col. Crystal Belew, commander of the 519th Hospital Center. “We had overwhelming success in what we called the golden hour. We had air superiority. We were able to use rotary-wing evacuation. Moving into large-scale combat operations, we need to use all forms of evacuation methods.”

The exercise reflected a shift in Army medicine’s focus from counterinsurgency operations to preparing for high-intensity conflict against near-peer adversaries, where contested airspace may limit the use of helicopters for medical evacuation.

According to Belew, Europe’s extensive rail network provides an opportunity for NATO allies to train together while testing the challenges of moving casualties across multiple countries and transportation systems.

“Training with rail assets improves NATO interoperability with our host-nation partners,” said Belew. “Europe has one of the most extensive rail networks in the world, and we get to use NATO standards, standardized agreements and transload node agreements when we’re crossing different country borders.”

The rail exercise incorporated multinational cooperation at every level, from medical treatment to transportation logistics.

“The true interoperability would be an American Soldier being treated by a Polish medical provider going to a German facility,” said Belew. “Using a rail asset and training through those different means and methods really brings the interoperability piece to full success.”

In addition to the rail platform, the exercise also tested a casualty staging unit concept, an innovation modeled after systems used by NATO partners. The casualty staging unit is designed to stabilize patients before they are moved onward for additional treatment, helping reduce strain on emergency medical facilities during mass casualty events.

“This is a concept we’re experimenting with that, by doctrine, does not exist in Army medicine,” Belew said. “This is where we are stabilizing stable patients for onward evacuation.”

The training scenario focused on preparing Soldiers and medical personnel for the scale and complexity expected in future conflicts.

“Large-scale combat operations have an expectation of mass casualties and complexity that has not been seen in our generation,” said Belew. “Exercises such as SWORD 26, where we’re focused on larger scales, mass casualties and stressing the system, are training Soldiers for those real-world expectations.”

The exercise also supported the broader sustainment mission of the 21st TSC by ensuring medical forces remain prepared to care for wounded personnel during future operations.

“Army medicine sustains the warfighter,” said Belew. “This training will sustain the warfighter by preparing for large-scale combat operations and preparing our medical professionals to take care of Soldiers.”

By integrating multinational partners, testing emerging medical concepts and expanding casualty evacuation capabilities beyond traditional air evacuation, SWORD 26 demonstrated NATO’s continued commitment to readiness and interoperability across the European theater.

Source: United States Army

When Nicoleta Panaite left her native Romania in 2014 with her son and a dream, she never could have imagined she’d be back in Army greens.

Now a U.S. Army Captain, Panaite serves as a physician’s assistant at U.S. Army Black Sea Joint Aid Station medical clinic, on a three-month rotation.

Her job is to keep Soldiers who arrive, on rotation, at Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase, healthy and ready for their missions. It’s work that rarely makes headlines, but keeps soldiers resilient, ready for the fight.

“Medical readiness is constant and proactive,” she said. “It means not just providing care, but actively looking for ways to improve the health, readiness, and trust of the unit.”

Her workday goes beyond sick call. After treating patients, Panaite tracks readiness metrics, coordinates care across systems, advises command on medical trends, and follows up with soldiers after hours.

Capt. Panaite holds herself to the standard of preventing problems before they become issues. She educates leadership, flags patterns early, and closes gaps in medical readiness before they widen. That proactive mindset comes from her time in the Interservice Physician Assistant Program, one of the Army’s most rigorous medical training programs.

“It requires a lot of dedication, hard work, compromise, and discipline,” she said of IPAP.

After moving to the United States, she graduated magna cum laude from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas, in 2018 and was commissioned in 2020. Nothing about her path was less than intentional. One area she is interested in is behavioral health. As a primary care provider, she isn’t a specialist, but when a struggling soldier comes to her, she doesn’t just redirect them and move on.

“All I can do is try my very best to listen, ask questions, and comfort them,” she said.

She said her ability to move between two cultures that makes her feel at home here, also improves her job performance. As a Romanian-born, serving in the U.S. Army, Panaite’s background allows her to connect in ways few textbooks can teach. Where others might see cultural differences, she finds common ground with diverse patients, whether local nationals, or Soldiers who feel out of place. Her colleagues recognize this not as a novelty but as a strength.

“My background helps me communicate better, especially with diverse populations,” she said. “It’s become one of my biggest strengths in providing care.”

In a garrison where missions cross borders and the community is rich and varied, that skill matters. Small moments remind her of the full-circle nature of her journey. A conversation in Romanian with a local DFAC worker or a familiar phrase overheard in the hallway recalls her roots.

“They would make my day just by exchanging a few words,” she said. “I realized how much I missed conversing in Romanian.”

Her focus, however, remains the mission. When asked for the best advice she’s ever received, she didn’t quote someone else.

“Never quit and always stay humble, no matter the circumstances,” she said. “That’s my own advice — and yes, I still strongly believe in it.”

For the soldiers on rotation at USAG Black Sea, that philosophy is more than a motto. It shows up before the first patient – and stays long after the last one.

Source: United States Army

BOURNE, Mass. – Massachusetts National Guard Airmen and Soldiers conducted a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear task force collective training exercise at Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts, May 14-17, to strengthen the state’s ability to respond to CBRN emergencies and other all-hazards incidents. The CBRN Task Force, a CBRN Enhanced Response Force Package, is trained to rapidly deploy in support of civil authorities to save lives and mitigate human suffering during domestic emergency operations.

The exercise brought together 208 Guardsmen in a simulated disaster response scenario integrating multiple mission areas, including command and control, search and extraction, mass-casualty decontamination, medical stabilization, fatality search and recovery, and incident site communications. The exercise simulated a nuclear explosion in a local area that caused radioactive material to contaminate the environment. The CBRN Task Force is trained to respond to such events, operating in 12-hour periods and sustaining operations for up to 5 days organically, with the ability to extend operations longer under certain circumstances.

“When we train independently, we tend to stay siloed and do not fully exercise interoperability, focusing only on our individual competencies,” said Lt. Col. Mark Bennett, 1st CBRN Task Force commander and deputy commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 79th Troop Command. “Without bringing all elements together, it becomes difficult to see how each piece fits as part of the whole. All six departments rely on one another equally to accomplish the mission. While each element is designed to be plug-and-play and can operate with other teams, capabilities are more limited when we are not operating as a fully integrated team.”

Soldiers from the 101st Engineer Battalion formed the search and extraction team and trained at the operations level in rope rescue, structural collapse search and rescue, and confined-space search and rescue.

Soldiers from the 272nd Chemical Company trained to conduct mass-casualty decontamination operations for ambulatory and nonambulatory patients, as well as technical decontamination for first responders. Soldiers also trained on wet and dry decontamination capabilities, equipment and personal property collection procedures, hazardous waste site establishment and maintenance and hazardous materials operations.

Airmen from Detachment 1, 102nd Medical Group, served as the emergency medicine consequence management team. The team trained to perform mass-casualty triage, provide lifesaving medical stabilization, coordinate transportation to higher levels of care, conduct radiation safety monitoring, provide respiratory protection, test potable water and monitor responder physiological conditions. The medical element and medical capabilities provide situationally dependent emergency medical triage, stabilization, treatment, tracking and regulation for patients, evacuees and support personnel. Medical personnel maintain responsibility from the point of initial contact through the established operational footprint until responsibility is transferred to civil authorities.

“The joint training environment gives us the opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences and combine our capabilities,” said Lt. Col. Eric Sabatinelli, Detachment 1, 102nd MDG commander. “We work closely with the Army, blending their skill sets with ours to accomplish the same mission. Training together strengthens our ability to operate as one team during a real-world response.”

Members of the 104th Force Support Squadron served on the fatality search and recovery team. Airmen trained on the expeditious and dignified recovery and removal of fatalities throughout the operating area, conducting search and recovery operations for human remains in contaminated environments, collecting and cataloging remains, coordinating with medical examiners and coroners, and performing hazardous materials operations.

The Joint Incident Site Communications Capability team, composed of Airmen from the 102nd Communications Squadron, trained to provide access to commercial internet, NIPRNET and SIPRNET data services, public and military telephone services, reach-back support to National Guard support services, high-frequency radio communications and dedicated wired and wireless local area networks.

“Our mission is extremely important because, while we have a capability we hope we never have to use, we train for it in case the worst day in America were to happen,” said Bennett. “That’s expressly why we’re here, and we have all of these competencies brought to bear to ensure that if that day ever comes, we have a proper response capability ready to activate and take on that mission head-on. That’s what everybody out here is here to do.”

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

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Before the next wildfire sparks, Wyoming agencies are working together to improve coordination, strengthen readiness and protect communities across the state.

The Wyoming State Forestry Division hosted a wildfire readiness meeting last week with the Wyoming National Guard, Wyoming Office of Homeland Security and representatives from the Governor’s Office ahead of the 2026 fire season.

The Wyoming National Guard attended at the invitation of Kelly Norris, Wyoming state forester.

“Wildfire response starts with relationships and communication,” said Brig. Gen. Michelle Mulberry, director of joint staff for the Wyoming National Guard. “By bringing agencies together before fire season, we strengthen readiness, improve coordination and ensure we are prepared to protect Wyoming communities.”

Leaders discussed lessons learned from the 2025 fire season and identified areas to sustain and improve.

Topics included interagency communication, resource coordination and operational capabilities. Leaders also discussed how agencies can maintain a better understanding of available support during wildfire incidents.

The meeting focused on improving collaboration before large incidents occur. Leaders said stronger coordination now will help create a faster, more unified response when communities are threatened.

“Wildfire response in Wyoming depends on strong partnerships and communication before the first fire starts,” Norris said. “Bringing agencies together to discuss capabilities, coordination and lessons learned strengthens our ability to protect lives, property and natural resources across the state.”

Participants emphasized the importance of continued coordination as Wyoming prepares for increased wildfire activity during the summer months.

The Wyoming Army National Guard routinely supports wildfire response operations across the state through aviation support, personnel, equipment and interagency coordination during emergency operations.

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

WASHINGTON — More than 250 Soldiers and Airmen from throughout the National Guard took part in National Guard Day at Nationals Park, highlighting the Guard’s service, sacrifice and community connection.

Guard members joined in pregame ceremonies, including on-field recognition, before the Washington Nationals took on the New York Mets on May 18.

The event underscored the Guard’s unique dual mission, serving as the combat reserve of the Army and Air Force while also responding during emergencies at home.

“Our relationship with the Washington Nationals reflects the National Guard’s commitment to connecting with the community in meaningful ways,” said Christine Thompson, a community engagement specialist with the National Guard Bureau. “By working together, we’re able to engage with the members of our communities while also highlighting the shared values of teamwork, service, and dedication that both our organizations represent.”

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, with the West Virginia Air National Guard, threw the game’s ceremonial first pitch. Wolfe was critically wounded in November during a targeted shooting attack while serving in the district as part of Joint Task Force District of Columbia.

The first pitch came after months of rehabilitation efforts by Wolfe, marking a milestone in his recovery.

“Throwing out the first pitch was a surreal experience,” said Wolfe.

U.S. Army Maj. Ryan Reynolds, with the West Virginia Army National Guard, delivered the game ball to Jake Irvin, the Nationals’ starting pitcher.

Reynolds was among the team of Soldiers and Airmen who responded to the shooting that left Wolfe wounded and claimed the life of U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, a military police officer with the West Virginia Army National Guard serving as part of JTF-DC. Reynolds ran toward the gunfire, subdued the assailant, protected fellow service members and shielded members of the public while maintaining initial care of Wolfe and Beckstrom.

Guard members, including more than 75 Soldiers and Airmen with the District of Columbia National Guard, were featured in other on-field roles at the start of the game.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Vicki Goldberg, with the D.C. Army National Guard, performed the national anthem while pilots with the D.C. Air National Guard’s 113th Wing executed a flyover of the stadium in F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft.

Game umpires received the starting lineup cards from U.S. Army Spc. Matthew David, with the Maryland Army National Guard, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Destiny Melendez, with the D.C. Air National Guard, kicked off the game by announcing “play ball!” to a stadium filled with thousands.

“The entire experience was amazing. The fact that I got to be with my coworkers, my peers and my family and play a role in today’s celebration was exhilarating,” said Melendez. “The energy was insane.”

From the Maryland National Guard, U.S. Army Spc. Matthew Zrebiec delivered the starting lineup cards to the umpire crew at home plate.

“I’m doing this for my daughters,” said Zrebiec. “They’re huge baseball fans, so when the opportunity came up, I said ‘yeah, let’s do it!’”

The collaboration between the National Guard and the Washington Nationals continues a longstanding tradition of honoring military service in the nation’s capital.

“As representatives of the national pastime in our nation’s capital, it’s important for us to recognize and honor our military members and their families,” said Gregory McCarthy, the Washington Nationals’ senior vice president of community and government engagement. “It’s not only our duty to celebrate and thank members of the National Guard who work in D.C., Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia, but our privilege to be able to do so, especially as we come together to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding.”

“It’s really cool to be part of history. I was part of something bigger than myself and that is truly an honor,” said Melendez.

National Guard participation at Nationals games dates back to the opening of Nationals Park in 2008, when Guard members helped unfurl large American flags during pregame ceremonies and supported tributes to military service as part of the stadium’s inaugural season.

Source: United States Army

DRAWSKO, Poland — Soldiers with the 30th Medical Brigade conducted a rail casualty evacuation exercise during SWORD 26, May 11-15, to prepare Army medicine for the realities of large-scale combat operations across Europe.

The training, conducted under the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, tested the use of rail transportation as a casualty evacuation platform while integrating multinational medical personnel, host-nation rail systems and NATO interoperability standards.

“We need to make sure that we’re looking at multimodal transportation for casualty evacuation during large-scale combat operations,” said Col. Crystal Belew, commander of the 519th Hospital Center. “We had overwhelming success in what we called the golden hour. We had air superiority. We were able to use rotary-wing evacuation. Moving into large-scale combat operations, we need to use all forms of evacuation methods.”

The exercise reflected a shift in Army medicine’s focus from counterinsurgency operations to preparing for high-intensity conflict against near-peer adversaries, where contested airspace may limit the use of helicopters for medical evacuation.

According to Belew, Europe’s extensive rail network provides an opportunity for NATO allies to train together while testing the challenges of moving casualties across multiple countries and transportation systems.

“Training with rail assets improves NATO interoperability with our host-nation partners,” said Belew. “Europe has one of the most extensive rail networks in the world, and we get to use NATO standards, standardized agreements and transload node agreements when we’re crossing different country borders.”

The rail exercise incorporated multinational cooperation at every level, from medical treatment to transportation logistics.

“The true interoperability would be a Mexican Soldier being treated by a Polish medical provider going to a German facility,” said Belew. “Using a rail asset and training through those different means and methods really brings the interoperability piece to full success.”

In addition to the rail platform, the exercise also tested a casualty staging unit concept, an innovation modeled after systems used by NATO partners. The casualty staging unit is designed to stabilize patients before they are moved onward for additional treatment, helping reduce strain on emergency medical facilities during mass casualty events.

“This is a concept we’re experimenting with that, by doctrine, does not exist in Army medicine,” Belew said. “This is where we are stabilizing stable patients for onward evacuation.”

The training scenario focused on preparing Soldiers and medical personnel for the scale and complexity expected in future conflicts.

“Large-scale combat operations have an expectation of mass casualties and complexity that has not been seen in our generation,” said Belew. “Exercises such as SWORD 26, where we’re focused on larger scales, mass casualties and stressing the system, are training Soldiers for those real-world expectations.”

The exercise also supported the broader sustainment mission of the 21st TSC by ensuring medical forces remain prepared to care for wounded personnel during future operations.

“Army medicine sustains the warfighter,” said Belew. “This training will sustain the warfighter by preparing for large-scale combat operations and preparing our medical professionals to take care of Soldiers.”

By integrating multinational partners, testing emerging medical concepts and expanding casualty evacuation capabilities beyond traditional air evacuation, SWORD 26 demonstrated NATO’s continued commitment to readiness and interoperability across the European theater.

Source: United States Army

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Candles flickered inside Daenner Chapel as American and German community members gathered next to rows of white grave markers at Kaiserslautern Main Cemetery during the annual Kindergraves Memorial Service, May 16, 2026.

The ceremony honored 451 American infants and children buried at the historic Kindergraves memorial site, many of them born to U.S. military families stationed in Germany during the height of the Cold War.

Senior leaders from the U.S. Army 21st Theater Sustainment Command and U.S. Air Force 86th Airlift Wing joined local officials, volunteers and military families during the event, which included candle lighting, prayers and wreath-laying ceremonies.

Deputy Mayor Anja Pfeiffer said the Kindergraves memorial remains a place of remembrance, compassion and connection between Germany and the American military community.

“The Children’s Cemetery here in Kaiserslautern is such a place,” Pfeiffer said during translated remarks at the ceremony. “451 children have found their final resting place here. 451 short lives. 451 stories that could never be told.”

Pfeiffer said many American families arrived in Kaiserslautern far from home but became part of the local community over time.

“German-American friendship has shaped Kaiserslautern for decades,” she said. “Compassion knows no language and no nationality.”

Maj. Gen. Michael B. Lalor, commanding general of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, said the memorial reflects the enduring bond between the Kaiserslautern community and American service members stationed overseas.

“Losing a child can be one of the most traumatic and painful experiences a parent ever endures,” Lalor said. “That heartache only becomes heavier if you’re doing it far from home and not surrounded by family.”

Lalor said the continued preservation of the cemetery reflects decades of compassion and partnership between the Kaiserslautern community and American military families.

“When these families left Germany, they carried the weight of leaving a piece of themselves behind on German soil,” Lalor said. “But they also knew their children would not be forgotten.”

During the ceremony, representatives from the Army, Air Force and German-American community lit memorial candles symbolizing remembrance and enduring devotion to the children buried at the cemetery.

Following the chapel service, attendees walked to the cemetery grounds for a wreath-laying ceremony.

The ceremony also recognized volunteers and organizations who continue to preserve the memorial, including the German-American Club Kaiserslautern, the Ramstein Area Chiefs Group, the Sergeant Morales Club and local students from Burg Gymnasium who help care for the cemetery grounds.

Pfeiffer said the cemetery continues to connect generations of German and American families through shared remembrance.

“Even though these children had only a short time in this world, they left their mark in the hearts of their families and also in our city,” she said. “It reminds us how precious every single life is.”