Service members representing the Georgia Army National Guard, Georgia Air National Guard, Georgia State Defense Force and the country of Georgia Defence Forces test physical and mental endurance under simulated fire during the Team Physical Training event of the 2026 Georgia Army National Guard State Best Warrior Competition, Mar. 9, 2026, at the Catoosa Volunteer Training Site, Ringgold, Georgia. The competition demonstrates the readiness and lethality of the Georgia DoD and country of Georgia Defence Force soldiers by testing the competitors with physical fitness assessments, written exams, and other warrior tasks and battle drills. (U.S. Army National Guard video by Pfc. Emerson Sneary)
WASHINGTON – General Thomas Carden has been appointed as the first four-star Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau, bringing nearly four decades of experience to the organization that oversees more than 435,000 Soldiers and Airmen.
For Carden, the title 'Vice’ is a familiar one. He explained that, like his previous deputy roles, the position is fundamentally about amplifying the commander’s intent.
“The vice or the deputy doesn’t have his or her own vision for strategy,” said Carden. “They figure out what the chief wants to accomplish in time and space to enable the 54 (states and territories) to do what they do best, and that’s generate readiness, lethality and capability for the joint force.”
Carden’s journey...
02.12.2026 | WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, US |
Story by Charles Emmons
U.S. Army Soldiers of the Georgia Army National Guard's 1148th Transportation Company and their friends and families stand for the playing of the national anthem during a deployment ceremony March 6, 2026 in Augusta, Ga. The ceremony served as a culminating moment for the company after several months of training and equipping for the pre-programmed rotation to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. (U.S. Army photos by Maj. Amanda Russell)
U.S. Airmen of the 165th Airlift Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, responded just before 7 p.m. Feb. 22, 2026, to contain a rapidly spreading brush fire located on the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport airfield.
The fire, which burned nearly 10 acres of grass surrounding the airfield, ignited shortly after an engine issue on a departing commercial aircraft and expanded quickly due to wind gusts reaching up to 60 mph. Fire attack...
The Georgia Department of Defense (DoD) is preparing to assist the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) and other state and local authorities as a winter storm is predicted to affect northern parts of Georgia on Saturday and Sunday.
