Speaking on TXARNG Army Medical Department (AMEDD), Issues with the TXARNG AMEDD, Current Status, Solution and Proposal, TXARNG Regional Training Center (RTI) filming .

Produced by the Texas Military Forces Public Affairs Office

Curtis De Keyrel speaks about how the Air Guard and Active Air Force use their assets.

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Speaking on maintaining a strong instructor force for pre-mobilization training, comprised of professional, technically and tactical competent NCOs within the TXARNG ranks. In order to do this, we need to rethink the way we do things.

Produced by the Texas Military Forces Public Affairs Office

Jim Carney speaks about Rounding out our officers by communicating to the field to eliminate ambiguity. To deliver the command message and motivate and engage the force.

Produced by the Texas Military Forces Public Affairs Office

Les Davis, Deputy Director CFMO, Texas National Guard, talks about Camp Mabry and its relationship with the local community in a TAG Talk at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, March 27, 2015.

Produced by Texas Military Forces Public Affairs Office

Michelle Bryant speaks about Texas Army National Guard women soldiers, primary caregivers and services.

Produced by the Texas Military Forces Public Affairs Office

Scott P. Nicholas speaks about the importance of the manned space exploration for the continuation of the human race.< /p>

Produced by the Texas Military Forces Public Affairs Office.

Sergio L. Tristan Speaks about social media engagement through out the Texas Military Forces. Produced By The Texas Military Forces Public Affairs Office.

The road to a Texas Guard Warfighter, part 1 of 3

Story by: Sgt. Elizabeth Pena

Posted: September 17, 2015

ROUND ROCK, Texas - The Soldiers of the Texas Army National Guard’s 136th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade serve their state and country with two necessary and complementing missions. Stateside, they help their fellow Texans during emergencies with search and extraction, decontamination, and medical triage capabilities. Overseas, they fulfill the Army’s mission to fight and win our nation’s wars through security and maneuver support operations.

This wartime mission requires extensive preparation and practice to achieve proficiency. Their barometer of success is the Warfighter Exercise, a three-week command and control simulation that tests and evaluates a headquarters’ coordination and methods of battle. Although their validation is not until November, the brigade’s journey to success begins months in advance, with command post exercises at its home station.

“This allows us to have trained soldiers, competent in their tasks and skills with coordinating efforts by other sections throughout the organization,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Esparza, the Brigade Information Services Technician. “It takes intensity. To be part of the MEB, you have to challenge yourself and Warfighter is a challenge we are definitely taking on.”

The command post exercises, held in July and September 2015, serve as preparatory rehearsals and proofs of concept for what they’ll encounter when they travel to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in November. The two exercises give the 136th MEB an opportunity to achieve unity of efforts across staff teams by allowing Soldiers, officers and enlisted alike, to define their individual roles and responsibilities and gain a better understanding of Warfighter as a whole.

“The feedback that we are getting on some of our products is great,” said Cpt. Carl Wilson, the brigade’s deputy logistics officer. “The collaboration with the advisors and trainers from the 101st will have long-lasting effects not just here and now, but further down the road in Kentucky.”

During the second command post exercise, held September 11-13, the Guardsmen teamed up with their active-duty counterparts from Fort Hood’s 1st Cavalry Division in field services, current operations, fires supports, knowledge management, and logistics to better understand the procedures and practices that will ensure a successful Warfighter.

“Everyone here wants to be part of a team,” said Esparza. “Anything you want to learn, you will be given opportunities to cross-train. We welcome anyone to come in and see how they can fit in and start working with direction and motivation.”

This is the first Warfighter for the 136th MEB since their deployment in 2012. Although this is not a mobilization, it still requires vast amounts of support, including supplies, maintenance gear, and transportation of equipment and Soldiers. The logistics section serves as the primary advisor for these tasks.

“Approximately 200 Soldiers from the brigade will be participating in Warfighter,” said Wilson, “requiring about 350 cases of MREs and a water buffalo that holds 400 gallons of water. Generators, HMMWVs, and LMTVs will be transported to Fort Campbell in late October prior to the main body movement.”

Crucial to mission success, communication support was another key element in learning how best to respond to the demands of a fast-paced, tactical environment. The brigade’s computers, telephones, and other electronic equipment requires 7,000 ft. of ethernet cable for the more than 500 different connections.

“We have to monitor networks, communication channels, information systems, and tactical systems,” said Esparza. “It is the architecture we build from the ground up at any location.”

The brigade is no stranger to self-sustaining operations through extensive practice with their Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter system in isolated areas without infrastructure. This command post exercise demonstrated once more the 136th MEB’s ability to establish a tactical footprint and execute their support mission.

“The way we prepared for this weekend was getting the personnel ready,” said Esparza, “as well as the communication pieces, the logistical support, cables, wires, and any other supplies we might need in order to make this happen.”

The Guardsmen will complete their final preparations in October before moving out November 4th for Fort Campbell. There, they will use the skills, products, and battle methods developed at their command post exercises during these summer months to achieve success at their culminating evaluation.

“Without this CPX, we could not perform well in Kentucky,” said Wilson. “I know for a fact they are setting us up for success.”

US Air National Guard makes history in Latvia

Story by: 1st Lt. Alicia Lacy

Posted: September 17, 2015

LIELVARDE AIR BASE, Latvia - Airmen from the 147th Reconnaissance Wing made history launching, operating and recovering the first MQ-1 Predator in European airspace in the reconnaissance aircraft’s first non-combat deployment Sept. 1, 2015, at Lielvarde Air Base, Latvia.

“Today at 7:47 a.m. Central Time, we made history with the successful launch, flight and recovery of our MQ-1 Predator in Latvia,” said Col. Stanley Jones, 147th Reconnaissance Wing commander, Texas Air National Guard, in a statement Sept. 1. “This deployment is a total wing effort with the critical contributions coming from every group in the wing. We could not have gotten to the point without every Texan contributing to the effort.” 

The guardsmen successfully executed this feat through a partnership with the Michigan National Guard and the Republic of Latvia. The coordination of all the components of the mission took four years to accomplish, from conception to execution, which began with Latvia’s State Partnership Program partner, the Michigan National Guard, and included the Latvian Civil Aviation Authority, the Latvian National Armed Forces, Air Navigation Service Provider, and the Riga Area Control Center. 

The Michigan guardsmen laid the foundation for the operation to take off. Inputs and contributions from Latvia, the Texas ANG and U.S. Air Forces in Europe helped finalize and eventually realize the mission. Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis stressed the significance of the U.S. presence in Latvia and the ability for Latvian troops to train side-­by-side with their NATO partners. 

“It’s important to train for interoperability between NATO partners,” Vejonis said. “It’s a good example of smart defense that we can use equipment that we don’t currently have.” 

The non­combat deployment allowed for country­wide corridors to tie into special use airspace to de­conflict civilian and military flights, as well as nationwide utilization of surveillance capabilities to support a broad range of government needs for Latvia, to include search and rescue, firefighting and border control according to Col. James Andrew Roberts, Combat Readiness Training Center commander, Michigan National Guard, and a major player in launching the operation.

In addition, the operation tested the wing’s ability to travel to a forward location and establish operations to assure its commitment to regional security and safety to its Latvian and NATO allies and European partners. The airmen trained using a satellite data link and trained Latvian military on long-range flights to help them understand the opportunities and challenges with remotely piloted aircraft operations.

The partner training included processing and sharing intelligence gathered by RPAs and close air support operations with Latvian forward air controllers. In addition to strengthening security in the region and the U.S. partnership with Latvia, the temporary deployment accomplished several objectives for those involved. For Latvia, it was the first use of the large-scale RPA in country. 

For the 147th Reconnaissance Wing, it was the first time the airmen deployed an entire package. Traditionally, when the MQ-1 Predator is deployed, maintainers and pilots are mobilized and equipment is moved from different locations, but for this mobilization, equipment and personnel deployed as an entire package.

“We palletized our own equipment, packed it up, and got our own people and equipment deployed as a package,” said Maj. Derek Weaver, 147th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander, 147th Maintenance Group, 147th Reconnaissance Wing, Texas ANG. “We got it right. We came here and set up in a couple of days and it was so smooth.”

Weaver credits the efficient execution of the deployment to help from the Latvians, the Army stationed at Lielvarde and the professionalism of the 147th wing members. The forward deployment was executed in support of the European Reassurance Initiative – an effort by President Barack Obama and Congress to bolster the security and capacity of NATO allies. The ERI demonstrates the steadfast commitment of the U.S. to the security of NATO allies and partners in Europe through a persistent, rotational presence of U.S. forces and by increasing the responsiveness of U.S. forces to contingencies in Central Europe.