News from the Oklahoma National Guard

137th SOW operates alongside 35th FW at Misawa Air Base
September 6, 2025 — Components of the 137th Special Operations Wing, Oklahoma Air National Guard, integrated with the 35th Fighter Wing to complete annual training at Misawa Air Base, Japan, Aug. 12-18, 2025...

Oklahoma National Guard strengthen ties through Saudi Arabia partnership
August 26, 2025 — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia formally joined the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, establishing a new partnership with the Oklahoma National Guard and expanding its strategic ties with the United States during a ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 21, 2025...

Wildfire response during training proves OKGuard ready to fight fires
August 21, 2025 — Twelve Oklahoma National Guardsmen training in Arizona proved the OKNG’s wildland firefighting program is ready to respond to wildfires when they were called to battle a real-world fire caused by lightning at Camp Navajo, near Flagstaff on Aug. 15...

OKGuard, RSU agreement builds future leaders
August 6, 2025 — The past and future of military leadership converged at Rogers State University as Maj. Gen. Thomas H. Mancino, adjutant general for Oklahoma, and Dr. Don Raleigh, RSU president, signed a memorandum of agreement formalizing the Guard Officer Leadership Development program on campus...

Oklahoma National Guard Oklahoma National Guardsmen take part in a historic exercise
August 6, 2025 — Oklahoma National Guardsmen took part in a historic exercise as they showcased the precision firepower of the U.S. Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) for the first time on Malaysian soil, July 17-29, 2025. Oklahoma Guardsmen from 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery Regiment, 45th Field Artillery Brigade, participated in the 25th iteration of Exercise Keris Strike, a trilateral exercise focused on bringing together military forces from the United States, Malaysia, and Australia...

Cyber officers join OKNG through direct commissioning program
July 31, 2025 — Capt. Derek Teague and Capt. George Bouziden earned their commissions as Cyber Corps officers through a U.S. Army Talent Innovation Division program designed to identify and bring in highly skilled civilian information technology professionals to strengthen the Army’s cyber capabilities...

137th SOW Airmen and families join together for a Yellow Ribbon event
July 2, 2025 — Families and Airmen assigned to the 137th Special Operations Wing gathered for a Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on June 14, 2025, for support in transitioning into civilian life after deployment. The event was designed to equip post-deployment Airmen and families with the resources, connections and knowledge necessary to navigate reintegrating back into civilian life successfully. These programs aim to assist service members and their dependents that face the challenges of deployment by providing a network of support...

Oklahoma Army National Guard couple train to improve cyber capabilities together
June 25, 2025 — Red, white, and blue. These colors together symbolize the flag of the United States, but in the largest and longest running cyber exercise, they represent the teams of Cyber Shield 2025 working together to test the nation’s cyber defenses from May 30, 2025 to June 13, 2025. Among the 900 participants is a young couple from the Oklahoma Army National Guard, both working in the cyber field and this time, on separate teams...

Oklahoma Guardsmen face-off against drones in survivability exercise
June 18, 2025 — Soldiers assigned to the 45th Infantry Brigade took part in the first of a series of counter-unmanned aircraft exercises at Camp Gruber Training Center on June 12 and 13...

Oklahoma Guardsmen forge combat-ready leaders in Light Leaders Course
June 17, 2025 — Thunderbirds from the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team participated in the Light Leaders Course from June 3-11, 2025, at Camp Gruber Training Center, Oklahoma, pushing through an intensive leadership development program designed to sharpen small unit tactics and develop agile, adaptable and deployment-ready combat leaders...

Video by Sgt. Anthony Ackah-Mensah

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OKGuard’s Thunderstruck 3.0 Integrates Critical Capabilities for the Modern Battlefield

Oklahoma National Guard

Sept. 12, 2026 | 2:20

Package: Oklahoma National Guard Soldiers put their tactics, techniques and procedures to the test during Exercise Thunderstruck 3.0, an unmanned systems-centered exercise held at Camp Gruber Training Center, Sept. 12, 2026. This year’s iteration of the annual exercise trained Oklahoma National Guard members against evolving threats, while military representatives from other states, international partners and industry representatives observed scenarios incorporating unmanned aerial systems and other emerging capabilities. (Oklahoma National Guard video by Sgt. Haden Tolbert)