Photo By Senior Airman Sharymel Montalvo Velez | U.S. Airmen with the 156th Contingency Response Group board a C-17 Globemaster III...... read more read more
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CAROLINA, Puerto Rico– The deployment of U.S. Armed Forces to Venezuela following recent earthquakes highlights the strategic role of the Puerto Rico National Guard in the region.
Personnel from the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, 156th Contingency Response Group, have been integrated into humanitarian assistance operations led by U.S. Southern Command in Venezuela.
Muñiz Air National Guard Base is recognized as a vital logistics platform in the Caribbean that has served as key staging, cargo transshipment, and aviation hub for moving personnel, equipment, and humanitarian aid into the region.
Last week, the Adjutant General of Puerto Rico, Brig. Gen.Carlos J. Rivera Román, together with Command Sgt. Maj. Juvencio Méndez, the PRNG command senior enlisted leader, met with Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón, to brief her on the potential deployment of National Guard Soldiers and Airmen in support of humanitarian assistance efforts.
"Yesterday, the PRNG, in direct support of SOUTHCOM, mobilized an initial group of Airmen from the PRANG CRG to Venezuela. Furthermore, we have approximately 20 additional service members on federal orders, ready to respond if needed. They remain at Muñiz ANG Base, and their potential deployment will depend on emerging operational needs," stated Brig. Gen. Carlos J. Rivera Román, Adjutant General of Puerto Rico.
The CRG is a specialized rapid-response unit, trained to assess, open, and operate airfields in remote or austere environments, or in areas with severely degraded infrastructure, establishing air operations where virtually no capabilities exist.
This facilitates the delivery of supplies, medical equipment, and additional personnel to affected areas.
“Our Airmen are prepared to carry out their mission, and the successful execution of all the training we conduct takes on real meaning when we are called upon to support operations like this one. The 156th Wing possesses capabilities that deliver significant impact,” stated Col. Evaristo Orengo, commander, 156th Wing.
Alongside its mission execution domestically in Puerto Rico, the PRNG maintains readiness and availability to support federal missions designated by the Department of War, once again demonstrating the flexibility and capability that characterizes the Guards’s dual missions.
| Date Taken: | 06.29.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.30.2026 15:00 |
| Story ID: | 569060 |
| Location: | PR |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Puerto Rico National Guard Serves as Strategic Bridge for Humanitarian Response in Venezuela, by SrA Victoria Jewett, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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