National Guard Executes 2,000-Mile HIRAIN During Minuteman Rotation at NTC

ALPENA, Mich. – Michigan National Guard Soldiers and Rhode Island National Guard Airmen completed a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) Rapid Infiltration (HIRAIN) from Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan, to Fort Irwin, California, during the National Guard's Minuteman Rotation, the first at the National Training Center (NTC).

The Minuteman Rotation concept aligns National Guard annual training requirements with combat training center rotations with their active-duty counterparts. The first Minuteman Rotation took place in March 2026 at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, Louisiana, with Soldiers from Florida Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment.

"The Minuteman Rotation is a specialized, high-intensity training program at combat training centers that are designed to simulate real-world combat scenarios for rotational units, in a controlled, large-scale environment," said Capt. Courtney Bonneau, Alpha Battery Commander, 1st Battalion, 182d Field Artillery Regiment, Michigan Army National Guard. "Being able to conduct this mission, within our annual training plan as National Guard Soldiers, was a great opportunity to train as we would fight in combat operations."

Soldiers from Michigan Army National Guard's Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 182d Field Artillery Regiment participated in the Minuteman Rotation from June 6-13 to support 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division deep fires during NTC rotation 26-08. The rotation highlighted joint interoperability across the Army and Air National Guard to rapidly infiltrate over 2,000 miles with HIMARS from 1st Battalion, 182d Field Artillery Regiment, on a C-130J Hercules from the Rhode Island Air National Guard's 143d Airlift Wing.

"The joint training is extremely beneficial for successful agile combat operations," said Capt. Ben Newman, C-130J Hercules pilot from 143d AW, Rhode Island Air National Guard. "By understanding the interoperability between the Air Force and Army, we can align processes and terminology to achieve mission success." Static artillery is highly vulnerable in the multi-domain environment that has advanced sensors and long-range fire capabilities. By leveraging HIRAIN, commanders can conduct deep fires forward of the line that minimize ground exposure and create an unpredictable, non-linear battlefield.

"HIRAIN brings speed, reach and survivability to the deep fight by inserting a precision-fire platform that can be rapidly inserted to support any theater of operations," said Sgt.1st Class Corey Morawa, Platoon Sgt., Alpha Battery, 1-182d FAR, Michigan National Guard.

HIRAIN is a highly coordinated joint operation in which HIMARS is rapidly airlifted to a forward or austere location, offloaded to execute a precision strike, and quickly reloaded and extracted before adversary forces can detect or target the unit. It is the ultimate military execution of the "shoot-and-scoot" tactic at extreme speed and distance, in degraded conditions.

The Minuteman Rotation at NTC provided valuable joint training across U.S. services and active-duty counterparts, while aligning to the annual training requirements for the National Guard.