North Dakota Marksman Excel at Competition
The top National Guard marksmen from Alaska, Arkansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota, Wyoming and North Dakota recently competed in the 2019 Marksmanship Advisory Council Region VI Marksmanship Championships at Camp Guernsey, Wyo. The North Dakota National Guard's Alpha Team took home top honors for the eighth consecutive year as combined arms team aggregate champions and overall honors for team rifle and team pistol championships. North Dakota sharpshooters also swept individual honors, with Sgt. Tyler Goldade taking overall and individual rifle trophies and Senior Airman Gavin Rook taking first place in the individual pistol. For more information: N.D. Guard Members Excel at Regional Marksmanship Match. Top Photo: Senior Master Sgt. Wade Swenson, 119th Wing, fires his Beretta M9 pistol on July 28 during during the Marksmanship Advisory Council Region VI Championship at Camp Guernsey.
Air Defenders Annual Training
Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment have been actively engaged in annual training since Aug. 1 at the North Dakota's Camp Grafton Training Center (CGTC) near Devils Lake. In their first week of training the battalion conducted officer professional development by planning all aspects of a Combined Arms Gap Crossing operation. On Aug. 3, Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, A Battery and Delta Detachment conducted protective mask training in a CS gas chamber at CGTC. On Aug. 6, all of the air defenders conducted individual weapons qualification at Camp Grafton South.
Civil Air Patrol completes biannual evaluation
The North Dakota Wing, Civil Air Patrol (CAP), successfully completed their biannual external evaluation Aug. 4, conducted by the U.S. Air Force, which tested the CAP's ability to perform its emergency services mission. During the week-long assessment, CAP flew 21 air sorties in various locations across the state, testing their ability to conduct search-and-rescue and providing aerial reconnaissance and imagery gathering. Both the senior and cadet members of the CAP are volunteers that dedicate their time in doing their part in securing the homeland. CAP is the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force and is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization. CAP supports America's communities with emergency/disaster response, diverse aviation and ground services, youth development, and promotion of air, space, and cyber power. The North Dakota Wing members are organized into seven local squadrons and operate seven powered aircraft, a glider, and 12 vehicles, as well as a state-wide radio network. In addition to assets provided by the State of North Dakota, CAP members steward more than $1 million worth of Air Force-provided assets.
The North Dakota Wing, CAP, gathered imagery from multiple location, including Garrison Dam, as part of its evaluation, which can be used to rapidly assess damages to critical infrastructure in the state. The CAP conducts these missions in support of its local, state and federal homeland security partners.
North Dakota Engineers assist YMCA near Garrison, North Dakota
Soldiers with the Wahpeton-based 188th Engineer Company are participating in a Community Assistance Project at the Triangle Y Camp near Garrison, N.D. at the request of the Minot YMCA. The engineers are removing diseased trees in the camp's shelter belt. This project provides excellent training in clearing and grubbing operations which are on the unit's Mission Essential Task List (METL). Items included in a unit's METL are written requirements that the unit must be able to satisfactorily perform in a combat area. The engineers are working on this project during their annual training period Aug. 1-15
British Sappers Train with North Dakota Engineers
Four Soldiers from the United Kingdom (U.K.) recently traveled to the United States to join the Minot-based 164th Engineer Battalion and its subordinate units during their annual training at Camp Guernsey, Wyo. from July 19-Aug 3. In addition to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company and Forward Support Company of the 164th Engineer Battalion, the 957th Engineer Company (Multi-role Bridge), the 817th Engineer Company (SAPPER), and the 818th Engineer Company (SAPPER) participated. The Soldiers from both countries honed skills in engineer tactics and worked together to achieve a successful annual training period. U.K. and U.S. armed forces continue to work closely all around the world.
British Cpl. Christopher Margett (right) helps place wire on the perimeter of the 818th Engineer Company’s administrative area during the unit’s annual training at Camp Guernsey on July 27.
British Soldiers posing with Soldiers from the 818th Engineer Company after training on demolition techniques for breaching reinforced concrete obstacles.
Over the Horizon Radar VIP Day a success
North Dakota National Guard and the Air Force Research Laboratory teamed up to host the Over the Horizon Radar (OTHR) VIP Day at Camp Grafton Training Center near Devils Lake. Seven organizations to include North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), United States Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) were represented at the day-long event that showcased the OTHR and the partnership it took to host a research event of this size.
The research project, which is two years in the making, began in early June and will last roughly 90 days. The VIP group received briefings from project experts, and toured the transmit site on Camp Grafton and the receive site on Camp Grafton South, where 20, 100-foot antennas and 160 smaller antennas are located, respectively.
"Working with the North Dakota National Guard has been great, they have went above and beyond anything that I could have imagined,” said Dr. Braham Himed, Division Research Fellow for the Air Force Research Laboratory. "There wasn't much we asked for that they didn't provide, the support at both locations (Camp Grafton North and Camp Grafton South) was unmatched."
“This is an important partnership between NORAD/NORTHCOM, AFRL, and the North Dakota National Guard,” said Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, adjutant general. “It paves the way for testing and research on this critical radar system, and also establishes CGTC as a premier research center for future users.”