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DMA Military Newsletter | July 29, 2026 |
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| Ready to serve ★ military.nj.gov |
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The NJ National Guard hosted a Fiscal Year 2027 and 2028 State Partnership Program Planning Conference from July 21-23, 2026. |
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Planning for the Next Mission |
New Jersey welcomed military leaders from the Republic of Albania and the Republic of Cyprus for our Fiscal Year 2027 and 2028 State Partnership Program Planning Conference. Over several days, our teams worked side by side to build a deliberate plan for future engagements, aligning priorities, identifying opportunities, and ensuring every event contributes to a larger objective. These discussions may not receive the same attention as exercises in the field, but they are every bit as important to mission success.
The National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program has always been about more than military exchanges. It is a long-term investment in trust, interoperability, and regional stability. Our partnership with Albania has grown over more than twenty-five years, while our relationship with Cyprus continues to expand into new areas that strengthen both organizations. Those partnerships succeed because they are intentional. Every exchange, every subject matter expert visit, and every combined training event builds on the last.
One lesson has remained constant throughout my career: progress does not happen by accident. It requires people willing to ask difficult questions, establish clear priorities, and commit to a shared course of action. Effective planning is truly about creating a roadmap that leaders can execute together.
What makes New Jersey’s State Partnership Program especially valuable is the breadth of expertise we bring to the table. Alongside our Soldiers and Airmen, Garden State professionals from emergency management, public safety, education, and other state agencies contribute perspectives that strengthen our partners and improve our own readiness in return. Every engagement is an opportunity to learn from one another.
The work accomplished this week will shape training and cooperation well into the future. The results of this week will be reflected in stronger relationships, more capable forces, and better prepared leaders when the next challenge arrives.
That is what readiness looks like. It is deliberate. It is collaborative. And it starts long before the mission begins.
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As always, thank you for staying connected to DMA.
We invite you to share ideas, events and feedback. Please email our team at outreach@dma.nj.gov.
Brigadier General Yvonne L. Mays
Adjutant General & Commissioner |
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| | | Community Calendar |
New events are added to the calendar on a daily basis so please bookmark and check back often. |
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State Partnership ProgramMilitary leaders from the Republic of Albania and Republic of Cyprus boarded a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the 1-150th Assault Helicopter Regiment, New Jersey Army National Guard, for an orientation flight at the DMA campus in Lawrenceville, NJ on July 24, 2026.
From July 21-23, NJ National Guard, Republic of Albania, and Republic of Cyprus leaders were attending planning sessions for New Jersey State Partnership Program Fiscal Years 2027 and 2028. The meetings are focused on training objectives, timelines, and resources.
The Cyprus delegation also met with Margo Chaly Esq., New Jersey Acting Secretary of Higher Education and the leadership of the New Jersey State Police.
The State Partnership Program is administered by the National Guard Bureau, which links a state's National Guard with the armed forces of a partner country in order to build long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with U.S. partners around the world. |
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L-to-R: 2nd Lt. Anthuanet C. Gomez-Blacido, 2nd Lt. Sean M. Lukowski, Sgt. 1st Class Alexis Colon, and Spc. Jahsiear W. Scott. |
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New Jersey National Guard Soldiers honored for aiding accident victims Mark Olsen | DMA Public Affairs | July 27, 2026
Four New Jersey Army National Guard Soldiers upheld the National Guard's motto, “Always Ready, Always There” by providing aid to a family after a head-on car collision.
On May 15, 2026, three Soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery Regiment, 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, were returning to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, when a truck swerved into their lane and hit the car in front them.
U.S. Army platoon leader 2nd Lt. Anthuanet C. Gomez-Blacido immediately pulled over and Spc. Jahsiear W. Scott, a signal tactical net specialist, called 911, while fire support officer 2nd Lt. Sean M. Lukowski ran to the car to assess the situation and render aid.
Lukowski began by getting the driver out and then moved to the woman in the passenger seat whose pinned leg trapped her in the car. She directed Lukowski’s attention to her baby in the back seat. He passed the baby to Gomez-Blacido who gave the child to the father. Gomez-Blacido kept the woman engaged and conscious while Lukowski moved on to the other vehicle.
The truck driver, who was able to remove himself, told Lukowski there were no one else in the vehicle.
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Alexis Colon, a platoon sergeant with the 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery Regiment, arrived, managed the growing crowd, and assisted the father with his baby. The fire department extracted the mother from the vehicle and transported the family by air ambulance from the scene.
Read Full Story |
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New Jersey ANG Airman shares expertise during European Partnership FlightSMSgt Megan Crusher | USAF | July 16, 2026
TIRANA, Albania -- A New Jersey Air National Guard munitions expert shared best practices in explosives safety and storage with military representatives from six European nations during the European Partnership Flight Air Base Operations and Development Conference in Tirana, Albania, June 13-17, 2026.
Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Foulk, the 177th Fighter Wing munitions flight senior enlisted leader, led discussions on explosives safety, proper munitions storage and storage-area management. Participants included representatives from Albania, which co-hosted the event, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
Read Full Story |
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 | NJ Service Medals
In accordance with New Jersey statute, the Adjutant General of New Jersey is the approving authority for the award of New Jersey state service medals. The State of New Jersey awards medals to honorably discharged Veterans of the state who served during peacetime and in various conflicts and combat theaters.
State medals include the Distinguished Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, POW/MIA Medal, Desert Storm Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Medal.
Learn More |
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Connor Frascati
Director of Communications
Connor Frascati serves as the Director of Communications for the New Jersey Department of Military Affairs, where he leads strategic communications, executive messaging, and public affairs in support of the Department’s mission and senior leadership. A U.S. Army combat veteran, Mr. Frascati previously served as the Deputy Director of Public Affairs as well as the State Executive Officer to the Adjutant General.
He continues his service as a Military Intelligence Officer in the New Jersey Army National Guard, with operational experience supporting domestic missions and overseas deployments, including brigade-level intelligence operations in combat environments. Prior to joining DMA, Mr. Frascati served as the Director of Operations on a congressional campaign and has experience working on campaigns at the congressional, gubernatorial, and presidential levels.
Mr. Frascati holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Richmond and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Security Policy Studies at George Washington University. He brings a mission-driven, people-first approach to public service. |
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Picatinny Arsenal welcomes new garrison commander during change of command ceremonyEric Kowal | July 27, 2026
PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. - Soldiers, civilian employees, community leaders and distinguished guests gathered at Picatinny Arsenal on July 22 to witness the official transfer of responsibility during a change of command ceremony, marking the transition from Lt. Col. Craig A. Bonham II to Lt. Col. John A. Meier as garrison commander.
The change of command ceremony, a long-standing Army tradition, symbolizes the formal transfer of authority, responsibility and accountability from one commander to another. The passing of the organizational colors signifies the continuity of leadership and the enduring commitment to the Army mission.
Hosted by Jason Condrey, Director, U.S. Army Installation Management Command – Sustainment, the ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of the outgoing commander while welcoming new leadership to the installation responsible for supporting thousands of Soldiers, families, retirees and civilian employees.
Read Full Story |
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Egg Harbor Twp Police DepartmentPublic Safety cadets and instructors with the Egg Harbor Township Police Department visited the 177th Fighter Wing, gaining valuable insights into what guard life is like.
The group was given a mission brief, saw an F-16C Fighting Falcon static display, and met a fighter pilot, members of aircrew flight equipment, 177th Firefighters, and 177th Security Forces defenders. They were also given a presentation by NJ Air National Guard recruiters.
Thank you for visiting our wing! It was a pleasure having you! |
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 | Staff Sergeant Raymond A. Kaudelky
The New Jersey Army National Guard Funeral Honors Team rendered military honors at the interment of World War II Veteran U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sergeant Raymond A. Kaudelky at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, NJ on July 17, 2026.
Staff Sergeant Kaudelky’s plane was shot down over France on March 11, 1944, and he was buried in Lagoubran Cemetery in Toulon, France as unidentified. His remains were later identified in June of 2019 and brought back to his home state of New Jersey to be laid to rest.
View Images | DPAA Personnel Profile |
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 | New Jersey Fallen Heroes Memorial |
In Honor of all those from New Jersey who gave their lives in the fight against terrorism during Operation Enduring Freedom & Iraqi Freedom. In humble gratitude, we remember their sacrifice. |
Memorial Inscription "But on the battlefield their feet stood fast, and in an instant at the height of their fortune, they passed away from the scene, not of their fear, but of their glory."
~ Pericles | | NJ Fallen Heroes Memorial |
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Maj. Thomas B. McGuire Jr. |
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| July 30, 1673 |
New York and New Jersey, which together were New Netherland until 1664, were recaptured from their British conquerors by a twenty-one ship Dutch fleet, the largest ever seen in North America, without a shot being fired. The colonies were returned to British control, however, in a peace treaty signed in November 1674. A Captain Manning, the commander who surrendered to the Dutch, was subsequently sentenced to publicly having a sword broken over his head. |
July 30, 1916 |
The “Black Tom” ammunition pier on the Hudson River in Jersey City exploded. Although America was still neutral in World War I, large amounts of ammunition manufactured in the United States were shipped to the allies in Europe, and German saboteurs had placed bombs on the pier. A postwar Claims Commission found Germany guilty of sabotage in both Black Tom and the subsequent Kingsland explosion in Lyndhurst, and awarded $50 million in damages to claimants. World War II intervened, but in 1953 the West German government, without ever admitting responsibility, agreed to pay the compensation. It was finally paid in 1979. |
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August 1, 1920 |
Thomas McGuire was born in Ridgewood. McGuire moved to Florida with his mother after his parents separated in the 1930s, and left Georgia Tech in 1941 to join the United States Army Air Corps. After flying in the Aleutian Islands, he became a Lockheed P-38 Lightning pilot in 1943 and then flew combat missions in New Guinea and the Philippines, where he became one of America’s leading aces. McGuire had thirty-eight kills and rose to the rank of major before being killed on January 7, 1945 in an accidental crash on Negros Island in the Philippines while maneuvering in a dogfight.
McGuire, who earned the Distinguished Service Cross, three silver stars, six Distinguished Flying Crosses, fifteen Air Medals and three purple hearts by the age of twenty-four, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. In 1948, Fort Dix Army Air Force Base was renamed McGuire Air Force Base in his honor. |
August 5, 1775 |
The New Jersey Provincial Congress ordered that 54 companies of Minute Men, of 64 men each, be raised and organized into battalions. The Minute Men were required to have “their own firelocks upon their shoulders, 23 cartridges in their cartouch [sic] boxes; the worm, priming wire and 12 flints in their pockets and a pound of powder and three pounds of bullets at home.” |
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Explore NJ Military History |
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National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey |
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 | We Are Hiring!
At the New Jersey Department of Military Affairs we take our work in support of Servicemembers and their families very seriously. The Department provides valuable services and can offer rewarding career opportunities to members of the public.
In addition, we have job openings for members of our military to serve in AGR and Federal Technician roles.
Subscribe to the MilVets Jobs Bulletin to stay updated on job openings.
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We hope you enjoy receiving our newsletter and find it both educational and engaging. If you have questions about our department, please visit our website at military.nj.gov to get contact information. |
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military.nj.gov NJ Department of Military Affairs 101 Eggerts Crossing Road
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
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