Skip to Main Content

Hawaiʻi National Guard Modernizes its National Guard Response Force

May 26, 2026
Categories: 
2020's, History
Soldiers with the Hawai'i National Guard conduct civil disturbance training at the 29th Readiness Center, Kalaeloa, Hawaiʻi, on March 20, 2026. The training, where soldiers acted as both protesters and responders, is part of an effort to meet updated federal guidelines for the National Guard Response Force, which focuses on de-escalation, site security and the protection of critical infrastructure. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Rachel Blaire)
Soldiers with the Hawai’i National Guard conduct civil disturbance training at the 29th Readiness Center, Kalaeloa, Hawaiʻi, on March 20, 2026. The training, where soldiers acted as both protesters and responders, is part of an effort to meet updated federal guidelines for the National Guard Response Force, which focuses on de-escalation, site security and the protection of critical infrastructure. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Rachel Blaire)

The Hawaiʻi National Guard has conducted training in recent months to meet updated federal guidelines for its National Guard Response Force (NGRF). All 54 states, territories and the District of Columbia are modernizing their NGRFs as well.

The initiative follows a presidential executive order issued last year, and the Department of War guidance directing the National Guard resource, train and organize a more standardized responseforce by April 1, 2026.

“The NGRF is not a new concept, but what is new, is the level of funding we received to train our service members,” said Maj. William Keahi, Hawaiʻi National Guard’s Reaction Force Trainer.

For more than 20 years, NGRFs have been readily available to governors, Congress and the President to assist during emergencies but have varied in composition, training and equipment readiness across the states. NGRF capabilities include civil disturbance operations, crowd control, area security, critical infrastructure protection and disaster response.

Read the rest of the article

The State of Hawaii, Department of Defense (HIDOD)’ Retiree News does not endorse any of the external hyperlinks listed or posted on this site. This includes linked websites, information, products, or services contained therein. We are a government run website for which transparency and accountability are paramount. HIDOD cannot have the appearance of endorsement and are bound by the HIDOD Social Media Policy concerning political posts being respectful, honest, and accurate. Operational Security will additionally be adhered to. Retiree News does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at linked sites. Some of the sites linked to may limit the number of stories you can access without a paid subscription. All links were provided with the intent of meeting the mission of the HIDOD’s version of Retiree News.