The National Guard Bureau has created a special Web site to feature lore covering the Guard’s first 370 years of being. The Guard’s history extends from Dec. 13, 1636, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony formed three regiments of existing militias around Boston to protect the vital harbor town from danger. A Pentagon press release notes that the site also features birthday letters from Army Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, NGB chief, and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.