The Justice Department’s Aug. 10 memo saying the Pentagon could close or realign National Guard units without the consent of state governors was greeted with the derision that had been widely predicted. Maj. Gen Frank Vavala, Delaware’s Adjutant General, told Congress Daily’s Megan Scully that, in effect, he will ignore it and continue to press the Guard’s case with the BRAC commission. He surely speaks for many others.
Air Force F-16 pilot Lt. Col. Eric R. Emerson, who commanded a small quick reaction force of fighters responding to Iranian-backed militia groups in 2024, became the first Air National Guardsman presented with the Anthony C. Shine Award on Feb. 10.

