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Lt. Col. Lauren Lwanga, left, a public health officer in the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Medical Group, and Capt. Leigha Bowyer-Jones, a nurse practitioner from the same unit, have been named top performers in the 2025 Air National Guard Medical Service Awards. Lwanga was selected as ANG biomedical specialist officer of the year, and Bowyer-Jones was named ANG privileged advanced practice nurse of the year. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Angelee Barnett)
123rd Medical Group and Kentucky Guard Airmen honored for national excellence
July 29, 2026
The Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Medical Group has been named Air National Guard Medical Unit of the Year, and two of its officers have been recognized for individual excellence in the 2025 Air National Guard Medical Service Awards.

Soldiers assigned to Kentucky's Charlie Battery, 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery, fire an artillery round from an M109A7 Paladin during annual training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, June 14, 2026. Training focused heavily on Artillery Table VI live-fire qualifications with self-propelled howitzers, ensuring crew proficiency in delivering timely and accurate indirect fire support on the battlefield. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane)
Kentucky National Guard Artillery Battalion Trains for Northern Strike 2027
July 29, 2026
Soldiers assigned to the Kentucky Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery, conducted annual training June 7–19, sharpening their warfighting skills and validating unit readiness for multi-domain operations.

Col. Ash Groves, center, chief of the Air staff at Joint Force Headquarters-Kentucky, is pinned with the rank of brigadier general by family members during a promotion ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., June 7, 2026. Groves previously served as headquarters’ director of Air staff. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Chloe Ochs)
Groves appointed chief of staff, promoted to brigadier general
July 27, 2026
Ash Groves was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and formally assumed responsibility as chief of staff for the Air Component at Joint Force Headquarters, Kentucky National Guard, during a ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, June 7, 2026.

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U.S. Army Soldiers with Bravo Battery, 1-623rd Field Artillery, conduct chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) confidence training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, May 16, 2026. The hands-on training reinforced proficiency with chemical defense equipment and enhanced the unit's ability to remain lethal and effective in contaminated environments. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Trey Baldwin)
Bravo Battery, 1-623rd Field Artillery conducts CS gas training at Fort Knox
Aug. 3, 2026
Soldiers from Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery Regiment, completed mask confidence training May 16, 2026, to build confidence in their equipment and prepare for operations in contaminated CBRN environments.

Gold Star family members board the Belle of Cincinnati for the annual Survivor Outreach Services Riverboat Cruise in Cincinnati, Ohio, June 28, 2026. The event brought together families from Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio for a day of fellowship, remembrance, and community. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Isaiah Jackson)
Gold Star Families Find Community Aboard Annual Riverboat Cruise
Aug. 3, 2026
Gold Star families from Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana gathered aboard the Belle of Cincinnati for the annual Survivor Outreach Services Riverboat Cruise, June 28. Joined by military leaders from across the tri-state region, the event provided surviving families with an afternoon of fellowship, youth activities, and community-building along the Ohio River. The annual cruise serves as a vital touchpoint, reinforcing the military's lifelong commitment to honoring the fallen and supporting the families they left behind.

Soldiers assigned to Kentucky's Charlie Battery, 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery, fire an artillery round from an M109A7 Paladin during annual training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, June 14, 2026. Training focused heavily on Artillery Table VI live-fire qualifications with self-propelled howitzers, ensuring crew proficiency in delivering timely and accurate indirect fire support on the battlefield. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane)
Kentucky National Guard Artillery Battalion Trains for Northern Strike 2027
July 29, 2026
Soldiers assigned to the Kentucky Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery, conducted annual training June 7–19, sharpening their warfighting skills and validating unit readiness for multi-domain operations.

Lt. Col. Lauren Lwanga, left, a public health officer in the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Medical Group, and Capt. Leigha Bowyer-Jones, a nurse practitioner from the same unit, have been named top performers in the 2025 Air National Guard Medical Service Awards. Lwanga was selected as ANG biomedical specialist officer of the year, and Bowyer-Jones was named ANG privileged advanced practice nurse of the year. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Angelee Barnett)
123rd Medical Group and Kentucky Guard Airmen honored for national excellence
July 29, 2026
The Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Medical Group has been named Air National Guard Medical Unit of the Year, and two of its officers have been recognized for individual excellence in the 2025 Air National Guard Medical Service Awards.

Col. Ash Groves, center, chief of the Air staff at Joint Force Headquarters-Kentucky, is pinned with the rank of brigadier general by family members during a promotion ceremony at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., June 7, 2026. Groves previously served as headquarters’ director of Air staff. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Chloe Ochs)
Groves appointed chief of staff, promoted to brigadier general
July 27, 2026
Ash Groves was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and formally assumed responsibility as chief of staff for the Air Component at Joint Force Headquarters, Kentucky National Guard, during a ceremony in Louisville, Kentucky, June 7, 2026.

Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Settles poses for a portrait at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Kentucky, June 26, 2026. Settles retired from the Kentucky Army National Guard after 29 years of service. (Photo by Jennifer Arnold)
Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Settles reflects on 29 years of service, leadership in Kentucky National Guard logistics
July 13, 2026
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Settles retired after nearly three decades of service to the Kentucky National Guard.

U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Ash Groves asks a question during the Kentucky Resilience and Emergency Preparedness (K-REP) Summit at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Kentucky, June 16-17. Hosted by the Kentucky National Guard, National Guard Bureau and U.S. Northern Command, the K-REP Summit brought together military, government and private-sector leaders to strengthen homeland defense, emergency preparedness and statewide resilience through improved partnerships and coordinated planning for natural disasters, cyber incidents and other emergencies. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Milt Spalding)
Kentucky Guard hosts K-REP Summit to strengthen disaster response partnerships
July 13, 2026
The Kentucky National Guard partnered with the National Guard Bureau and U.S. Northern Command to host the Kentucky Resilience and Emergency Preparedness (K-REP) Summit at Boone National Guard Center June 16–17, 2026. The two-day event brought together military, civilian, and emergency management leaders to discuss critical infrastructure protection, cyber threats, and statewide disaster response coordination.

Kentucky National Guardsmen with the 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery Regiment gather with members of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force after the final rounds were fired of a combined live-fire exercise during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026 in Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands in Kauai, Hawaii, July 12, 2026.Thirty nations, over 30 ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 190 aircraft and more than 30,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 24 to July 31. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2026 is the 30th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by 1st Sgt. Scott Raymond)
Kentucky Guardsmen integrate with Japanese for live-fire exercise during RIMPAC 26
July 13, 2026
Kentucky's 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery participated in a joint live-fire exercise as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, July 11. Working alongside the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, the HIMARS unit successfully engaged naval targets to strengthen multinational interoperability and collective security in the Indo-Pacific.