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The National Guard Educational Foundation recognized another large group of major donors Saturday evening during a special reception at the National Guard Memorial, the NGAUS headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Governors frequently call up the National Guard during natural disasters, but presidents have historically avoided federalizing Guard units without a state’s consent — doing so only five times before 2025.

In early September, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reinstating the Department of Defense’s original name, the Department of War. The designation, used from 1789 until 1947, marks a symbolic return to the nation’s early military roots.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history should soon be over, but the damage to the National Guard will likely continue for a while. That was the message retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the NGAUS president, delivered during a media roundtable Monday with three other military association leaders at the Air and Space Forces Association in Arlington, Virginia.

After 43 days of gridlock, Congress is poised to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The House returns to Washington today for a late-afternoon vote on a bipartisan funding package that would reopen federal agencies and restore normal operations.

Consideration of the association’s 2026 operating budget and legislation before Congress, including this week’s effort to end the government shutdown, will top the agenda when the NGAUS board of directors gathers Saturday for its final meeting of the year.

Open enrollment season for TRICARE medical coverage and other federal employment benefits began Nov. 10 and runs through early December. This is the time of year when those eligible can enroll, disenroll or amend their benefits. Any changes take effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled a comprehensive plan to accelerate the Pentagon’s acquisition process, aiming to deliver new weapons and systems faster.

Retired Brig. Gen. Stephen Koper, the NGAUS president from 2004 to 2009, died Oct. 31. He was 84. Koper spent 32 years in uniform, all of it in the Ohio Air National Guard.

NGAUS has been busy since the federal government shutdown began Oct. 1 informing Congress and the press on the harm the lapse in appropriations is doing to National Guard readiness and Guard Soldiers and Airmen and their families.

With a potential conflict on the horizon, the Department of War is prioritizing preserving its key military advantage over China — U.S. command and control, or C2.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed the former commander of Air Combat Command to be the Air Force’s new senior officer.