New Hampshire National Guard

06/04/2026

Looking Forward

By NHNG Public Affairs

For the second time in six years, New Hampshire Army National Guard’s mountain infantry company is deploying to the Middle East in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

More than 130 soldiers from Milford-based Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain) departed New Hampshire on June 3. They will spend the next month at Fort Bliss, Texas before heading overseas as part of a security force to protect personnel and equipment stationed throughout the U.S. Central Command area of operations.

They will be prepared for any contingency operations to support U.S. allies.

“Spirits have been high,” said company commander Capt. Christopher Carney. “A lot of these guys have done this before. The new guys seem eager and excited, and you got the people who aren’t happy to leave. It’s a little bit of a mix.”

For Sgt. Hunter Gotshall, a team leader, “it’s just a case of going with the flow.”

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” he said. “I was over in Eastern Europe, right as the invasion of Ukraine kicked off. My main priority is making sure everybody’s safe and sound, and they have no issues that are hanging over them.”

The soldiers, who just completed an annual training to certify their mission set, are deploying as part of the 3/172nd. Headquartered in Vermont, the battalion includes units from four other states, Maine Massachusetts, Connecticut and Colorado. The battalion held a sendoff ceremony last week at Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Jericho, Vermont.

“Thanks for what you do,” said NH Adjutant Gen. David Mikolaities, who spoke with the soldiers prior to their departure from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. “Be worthy of wearing the uniform, keep your integrity intact, and come back the same way.”

Since 2004, Mountain Company has deployed three times to the CENTCOM AOR, earning multiple awards to include the Valorous Unit Award for a 2010 deployment to Afghanistan. The CENTCOM AOR spans 21 nations across the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia and Northeast Africa.

The deployment is expected to last 10 months.

06/02/2026

Where There's Smoke

From left, Firefighters Trey Baxter and Carter Niekamp, and Lts. Brandon Hudson and Thomas Sutton approach building 100 on Pease Air National Guard Base in preparation for a search and rescue simulation May 12. The crew practiced wall sweeps and communication procedures. Photo by Airman 1st Class Maria Gonzalez, 157th ARW Public Affairs.

05/31/2026

Two Birds Are Better Than One

Rescuers used New Hampshire Army National Guard helicopters after a hiker reported a leg injury about 7.5 miles from the trailhead Thursday.

05/29/2026

Building Trust Through Shared Expertise

Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Elliot Boutin, 157th ARW PA

A joint New Hampshire National Guard medical team conducted an aeromedical exchange with its state partners in Praia, Cabo Verde from May 20 to 22.

Coordinated through the NHNG-Cabo Verde State Partnership Program, the three-day collaboration with the Cabo Verde Armed Forces Medical Unit and personnel from the Ministry of Health focused on en-route patient care, triage, prolonged field care and medical readiness in an archipelagic environment.

The Republic of Cabo Verde consists of a chain of 10 volcanic islands located off the western coast of Africa.

“Being in Cabo Verde to see what barriers exist and talk through them is invaluable,” said Maj. Kimberly Steinhagen, a nurse assigned to the 157th Medical Group’s Critical Care Air Transport Team. “We have access to different equipment and supplies, so to be able to see and touch what they have and together make a plan on the best way to implement it is essential.”

Steinhagen was one of five airmen and three soldiers who made the roughly 14-hour trip from Boston on commercial aircraft. The exchange included classroom discussion and a hands-on practical using the country’s one C-12 aircraft.

“The most difficult obstacle for any team is time to wheels up with the patient,” Steinhagen said. “Running scenarios to improve the process is helpful to practice to decrease the time of patient movement.”

Participants compared processes, asked questions and discussed how each organization approaches medical readiness within its own mission requirements, geography and available resources.

“Our role is to assist with sharing the procedures that the Army practices in the pre- hospital care continuum,” said Staff Sgt. Zackari Lepicier, a health care noncommissioned officer assigned to the New Hampshire Army National Guard Medical Detachment. “Army medicine focuses heavily on point-of-injury and illness care. We train with great focus on prolonged field care and resource management.”

The airmen, whose aeromedical platform is the KC-46 Pegasus, focused on planning, en-route care and the coordination required to move patients safely by air.

“Air Force personnel offer different perspectives to the guidelines we both share,” Lepicier said. “This diversity of knowledge helps to paint a complete picture of the goals of tactical combat casualty care.”

The engagement gave New Hampshire personnel an opportunity to learn from Cabo Verde’s unique set of patient care challenges. “We learn how we can do the same mission with less and how to maneuver more efficiently,” Steinhagen said.

Maj. Nilson Fernandes, bilateral affairs officer for the NHNG-Cabo Verde state partnership, ensured the learning was mutually beneficial.

“There was open communication, a willingness to share expertise, and confidence in each other’s capabilities,” he said. "That kind of trust is built over years of partnership and is what allows us to operate effectively together.”

NHNG and Cabo Verde established a state partnership in 2022 under a Department of War initiative that pairs state National Guards with a nation’s military, security and disaster response agencies. At the time, it represented the 16th state partnership between the U.S. and African nations.

Much of the fledgling union has focused on aviation operations and medical care. In early 2024, flight paramedics from the 238th Medevac Company taught a workshop on basic first aid to Cabo Verde military and first responders as part of a month-long field exercise. Later that year a leadership team from the Cabo Verde military visited the 157th Air Refueling Wing in Newington and Army aviation in Concord for a three-day familiarization.

In addition to sharing best practices, the partnership supports broader U.S. government priorities by strengthening relationships with a strategically important transatlantic ally, said Mark Weinberg, chargé d’affaires for the U.S. Embassy Praia, Cabo Verde.

Weinberg held an office call with the NH team, stressing they serve as a visible extension of U.S. policy.

“We don’t care for people from a conference call or a conference room,” Steinhagen said. “There is no AI equivalent to patient care or transport. You gain knowledge from a classroom, but you gain experience from being hands on, working side by side.”

05/29/2026

Power Projector

The Air Force has reached an agreement with Boeing to speed delivery of key KC-46 Pegasus tanker upgrades across the fleet, including the aircraft’s enhanced vision system.

05/27/2026

Virtual Alliances

At center, Gen. Thomas Carden, vice chief The National Guard, gathers with New Hampshire National Guard state partners from Fuerza Armada de El Salvador and Cabo Verde earlier this month during a visit to the Region 1 Cyber Yankee exercise at Camp Nett, The Connecticut National Guard.

Cyber Yankee is the National Guard's annual regional Defensive Cyber Operations exercise, according to Lt. Col. Matthew Dupuis, chief information officer for the NHARNG. Led by the National Guard in collaboration with joint military branches, federal agencies, and private utility partners, the training focuses on protecting critical infrastructure—such as power, water, and gas grids—from large-scale cyberattacks.

This year's exercise included guardsmen from New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Tennessee. They were joined by international participants and observers from El Salvador, Cabo Verde, Canada, Cyprus, Israel, Kenya, Paraquay, Sweden and Uruguay. Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Kelly Boyer, NGB-PA.

05/26/2026

No One Has Greater Love Than This

The New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery cordially invites you and your family to attend the state Memorial Day ceremony Saturday, May 30, at 11 a.m.

The annual community observance, which will include remarks from Governor Kelly Ayotte and the state's congressional delegation, will be held at 110 Daniel Webster Highway in Boscawen. You're encouraged to arrive early and bring lawn chairs.

The ceremony also marks the start of the 100 Nights of Remembrance. At precisely 7 p.m. each evening at the cemetery, a bugler will play Taps from Memorial Day through September 11.

05/24/2026

05/22/2026

Getting In Their Reps

Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Sean Ferry, JFHQ Public Affairs

Staff Sgt. Andrew Nicholls’s visor reflected a moving panorama of miniature buildings, trees, and streets as the Black Hawk banked right and circled high above downtown Concord as if tethered to the gilded statehouse dome.

Seated by him, Rep. Steven Bogert of Laconia was among a group of state legislators, their smartphones at the ready, taking it all in with wonder and awe. For many, it was their first flight on a military helicopter.

“I was really amazed at the professionalism of the crews and the pride in what they do,” said Bogert after the 30-minute ride.

NH Adjutant Gen. David Mikolaities hosted more than 30 state representatives May 19 for an orientation flight and tour of the New Hampshire Army National Guard flight facility in Concord. The outreach is part of an ongoing effort to build strong relationships with state and local leaders, ensuring they understand the Guard’s role, capabilities and value in both peacetime and crisis.

Last year, the 157th Air Refueling Wing treated state senators to a mid-air refueling on a KC-46 Pegasus.

“It does a good job of putting a face to the name of the Guard,” said Maj. Benjamin Hagstrom, executive officer for the Office of the Adjutant General. “It allows our representatives to get some hands-on personal experience.”

In addition to a bird’s-eye view of their chambers, lawmakers had an opportunity to see search and rescue equipment up close and discuss state missions with Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jeremy Gray, the state aviation standardization office.

The event also fulfilled training requirements for the aviators. Nicholls, a flight paramedic with Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 238th Aviation Regiment, served as crew chief for the day.

““I saw a lot of smiles, a lot of open eyes too,” he said. "It’s good that we get to involve more people in our training."

“Nobody threw up,” Nicholls added. “Which is always really good.”

05/19/2026

Digitally Speaking

The 372nd Signal Company and Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 197th Field Artillery Brigade conducted a battlefield communications exercise March 6 at the Manchester armory. Soldiers rehearsed how target data, fire missions and unit positions move from observers to command posts and ultimately to firing crews. From unspooling wire and operating radio systems to inspecting and familiarizing equipment, they worked through both primary and backup communication methods to ensure continuity under pressure. Photos by 603rd Public Affairs Detachment.