News from the Oklahoma National Guard

Oklahoma National Guard to assist McCurtain County amid influx of eclipse tourism
March 18, 2024 — At the request of McCurtain County Emergency Management, the Oklahoma National Guard plans to have members of the 63rd Civil Support Team available to assist local government agencies during the time surrounding the April 8, 2024 eclipse... MORE

Future of drone defense takes flight at inaugural Oklahoma National Guard Counter-UAS Symposium
March 14, 2024 — The quote "This isn't a new weapon, it's a new world,” from the film “Oppenheimer”, set the tone for the inaugural Oklahoma National Guard Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Symposium at Oklahoma State University’s Hamm Institute for American Energy in Oklahoma City, March 12-13, 2024... MORE

Maj. Gen. Thomas H. Mancino, adjutant general for Oklahoma, speaks during the inaugural Oklahoma National Guard Counter-Unmaned Aircraft Systems Symposium in Oklahoma City, March 12, 2024. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Reece Heck)

Oklahoma National Guard Counter-UAS School trains with industry
March 13, 2024 — The Oklahoma National Guard, in collaboration with various industry partners from across the state, conducted a test of the cutting-edge capabilities of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at Camp Gruber Training Center, Feb. 22, 2024... MORE

The Oklahoma National Guard, in collaboration with various industry partners from across the state, conducted a test of the cutting-edge capabilities of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at Camp Gruber Training Center, Feb. 22, 2024. The budding program addresses the National Guard’s need to adapt to the ever-changing battlefield technologies, including the integration of artificial intelligence, countering the unmanned systems threat, and countless other emerging technologies. This initiative aims to equip and train the OKNG alongside civilian aerospace industry experts and local partners to enhance mission readiness in aviation and aerospace technologies of the future. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Cpl. Danielle Rayon)

Oklahoma Guardsman receives Star of Valor for heroic actions
March 7, 2024 — Oklahoma Army National Guard Soldier Spc. Alexander Weimer was awarded the Oklahoma Star of Valor for his courageous actions at the scene of a head-on collision on April 21, 2023 that claimed the life of one motorist and left several others injured and trapped in their vehicles... MORE

Spc. Alexander Weimer, assigned to Bravo Company, 545th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oklahoma Army National Guard, speaks with Col. Andrew Ballenger, commander of the 45th IBCT at his Oklahoma Star of Valor Ceremony at the Muskogee Armed Forces Reserve Center, Muskogee, Oklahoma, March 3, 2024. Weimer was recognized for his bravery and compassion while assisting civilians involved in a vehicular collision while on his way to drill. (Oklahoma Army National Guard by Cpl. Danielle Rayon)

Task Force Tomahawk welcomed home from Horn of Africa
March 2, 2024 — The more than 800 Oklahoma Army National Guard Citizen-Soldiers of Task Force Tomahawk are safely back in Oklahoma following a nine-month deployment to the Horn of Africa, with the final group of Guardsmen arriving at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base on March 2... MORE

A member of Task Force Tomahawk reunites with their family during a welcome home ceremony at Will Rogers Air National Guard Base in Oklahoma City, Feb. 23, 2024. Task Force Tomahawk returned from a nine-month deployment in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, where the Citizen-Soldiers provided security at multiple sites across the Horn of Africa as well as manned the East African Response Force. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Anthony Jones)

Oklahoma National Guard publishes 2023 Governor's Report
February 23, 2024 — The Oklahoma National Guard has published the 2023 Governor's Report... MORE

Task Force Tomahawk returns to US after deployment to Horn of Africa
February 20, 2024 — The more than 1,000 Oklahoma, Nebraska and Indiana National Guard Citizen-Soldiers of Task Force Tomahawk are safely back on American soil after their nine-month deployment to the Horn of Africa... MORE

Lt. Col. Brent Weece, commander, Task Force Tomahawk, (right) shakes hands with Lt. Col. Micheal Scanlon, state operations officer, Oklahoma Army National Guard at Fort Bliss, Texas, Feb. 18, 2024, after Weece returns from a nine-month deployment to the Horn of Africa. Task Force Tomahawk is made up of units of the 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team - primarily of the 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment as well as companies from the 1st Battalion, 279th Infantry Regiment and 2nd Battalion, 134th Infantry Regiment (Airborne). TF Tomahawk was responsible for security at multiple locations across several countries in the Horn of Africa as well as manning the East African Response Force. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Anthony Jones)

Oklahoma Guard conducts annual Mechanic of the Year competition
February 15, 2024 — Oklahoma Army National Guardsmen gathered to test their mechanical skills at the third annual Mechanic of the Year competition held at the Combined Support Maintenance Shop in Norman, Oklahoma, Feb. 7, 2024... MORE

(From left to right) Oklahoma Army National Guardsmen Sgt. Kyle Ehrenberg, a rocket system crewmember assigned to the 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery Regiment, 45th Field Artillery Brigade, Spc. Jasser Reyes, a wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to the 120th Forward Support Company, 45th FAB, and Staff Sgt. Brandon Burns, a motor transport operator assigned to the 120th FSC, 45th FAB, read instructions together during the Mechanic of the Year competition held at the Combined Support Maintenance Shop in Norman, Oklahoma, Feb. 7, 2024. The Guardsmen gathered to put their mechanic skills to the test in the third annual competition, working in four-man teams to beat out the competition while also getting to network amongst fellow competitors. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Cpl. Danielle Rayon)

National Guard Bureau Leaders Say Taking Care of Guardsmen Key to Meeting Mission at Home, Abroad
February 9, 2024 — Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said that as the global security landscape has become increasingly complex, the National Guard continues to fill its role as an indispensable warfighting force while at the same time responding in times of crisis at home... MORE

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, meets with Arkansas Guardsmen assigned to Task Force Bowie, 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, on rotation overseeing training with the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine, Grafenwoehr, Germany, Oct. 21, 2023.

Oklahoma National Guard hosts inaugural Domestic Operations Symposium
January 23, 2024 — More than 20 emergency response agencies from across the state gathered for the Oklahoma National Guard’s inaugural Domestic Operations Symposium held at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Norman, Oklahoma, January 23-24, 2024... MORE

Oklahoma Army National Guardsman Capt. John Schatz, a nuclear medical officer with the 63rd Civil Support Team, talks with members from emergency response agencies at the inaugural Domestic Operations Symposium at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Norman, Oklahoma, Jan. 23, 2024. More than 20 emergency response agencies from across the state gathered for the event to build a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities, encourage collaborative planning, mutual aid, and participation in upcoming training events. (Oklahoma National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Reece Heck)

Video by Sgt. Haden Tolbert

From scrap paper to state-of-the-art: Oklahoma National Guard unveils new Wellness Center

Oklahoma National Guard

Feb. 19, 2026 | 1:04

Oklahoma National Guard leadership held a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, for the Oklahoma National Guard Wellness Center, a nearly 35,000-square-foot facility at the Oklahoma City Military Complex in Oklahoma City. Amenities within the wellness center include a fully equipped workout space for resistance training and agility, indoor and outdoor meditation spaces, a chapel, conference rooms, classroom spaces, and a teaching kitchen. The facility also houses OKNG programs and services, including Behavioral Health, Chaplain, Equal Employment Opportunity, Family Programs, Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F), Integrated Primary Prevention, Resilience, Suicide Prevention, Substance Abuse Prevention and Risk Reduction, and Sexual Assault Prevention and Response.