It has been another extraordinary year for our Michigan National Guard family. Two thousand thirteen saw some great achievements for our Soldiers, Airmen and installations.  Never one to rest on our laurels, these accomplishments have laid the foundation for an even more impressive 2014.

The biggest event this year had to be the 100th year anniversary of Camp Grayling, the crown jewel of military training facilities within the Reserve component.  The celebration featured camp enhancements across the 147,000 acre, all-services, four-season training post, to defense industry engineers, visiting military dignitaries, elected officials and media representatives.  The capstone portion of the celebration was a live concert and fireworks show on the grounds of Camp Grayling.

Two thousand thirteen also saw the expanded execution of Operation Northern Strike, a joint-force training exercise incorporating live fire, close air support, special operations, Latvian and Canadian air controllers and Michigan Guardsmen.   The event allowed us to showcase Camp Grayling and Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center to 29 National Guard and Active Duty units and our coalition partners Latvia and Canada.

As if those events weren’t impressive enough, the 46th Military Police Command was selected by the Department of Defense to serve as the command and control element for response to a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear event.  This is a one of kind unit charged with oversight of Department of Defense units assigned to support civilian first responders in the event of a catastrophic attack on U.S. soil.

Finally, 2013 marked the 20th anniversary of our State Partnership Program with the Latvian military.  Latvia was one of the first nations to partner with a National Guard unit and the benefits of that relationship have been impressive.  This year the primary training focus between us and Latvia has been joint terminal attack control, or JTAC, training. Guard members from both countries trained in directing close air support and indirect fire.  

The Michigan Guard continues to lead the way in SPP execution; we are one of very few states that have the privilege of having two Partnership countries, to include Liberia.  We made great strides with the country of Liberia in 2013 by sending over multiple traveling contact teams to mentor and teach the Latvians how to conduct administrative operations, legal skills, medical, and engineer trades.  

While the bar for performance was set pretty high in 2013, we are confident that next year will bring even more success to the Michigan Guard.

Planning for Operation Northern Strike 2014 has already begun and it is shaping up to be even bigger than last year with more units committing to participating and an increased role for artillery and mortars to work with close air support.  Camp Grayling will also host a brigade sized training exercise called XCTC or “Exportable Combat Training Capability.”  This operation will bring a fires brigade, which is six artillery battalions, into Camp Grayling for a variety of training events including live fire exercises.  SPP will continue to strengthen the relationships already established with Latvia and Liberia with over a dozen traveling contact teams (TCTs) scheduled for 2014.  

In addition to events already in the planning stages, there are a number of new initiatives taking shape in 2014.  We have begun a partnership with public and private IT organizations with the mission of establishing Michigan as the nation’s leader in cyber defense.  Michigan is also one of the final candidates being looked at by the Department of Defense to be granted a missile defense base.  This facility will tentatively be based on Fort Custer and provide jobs and economic boost to the Battle Creek area. Finally, I am excited to kick off a Wellness Campaign with the goal of improving the overall health of our service members and their families.  It will be focused on diet and proper nutrition, along with a TAG led exercise program that can bring life-long benefits to our members.  There is certainly more to follow with all of these initiatives but you can see that the future is bright for the Michigan National Guard.  The most up to date information can be found on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/michguard or our website at http://minationalguard.com.

As we look to the future our National Guard family needs to be prepared to deal with upcoming budget and manpower reductions for the Department of Defense.  We believe the National Guard’s dual mission, with the same capabilities and achievable readiness levels, is the best value for our nation and the total force should be rebalanced to reflect that efficiency.  We will meet whatever blows we are dealt with the same strength and resolve developed over the 377 year history of the National Guard.  We will remain “Always Ready, Always There.”  

About 50 Security Forces Airmen from the Michigan Air National Guard returned home on Sunday, following a six month deployment to southwest Asia. The Airmen were assigned to a variety of duties while deploying, primarily serving as part of the security force at an air base in support of Operation Enduring Freedom... {more}

Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 119th Field Artillery Regiment, with support from Bravo Co., 1-147 Aviation and the 238th General Service Aviation Battalion, Michigan National Guard, successfully conducted Cold Weather training on Camp Grayling Joint Military Training Center, Mich., Feb. 28, and March 1, 2014...{more}

Born and raised in the Philippines, Airman 1st Class Sarah Adams decided to travel to Michigan to attend college. Her parents were American missionaries who lived in the Philippines for about 30 years and Spring Arbor University in Michigan offers a tuition discount for children of missionaries...{more}