Montana National Guard brings Headquarters for a Day to Kalispell
**KALISPELL, Mont. —**The Montana National Guard and Montana Department of Military Affairs brought senior leaders, community partners and state programs together Sept. 24 at the Kalispell Armed Forces Reserve Center for Headquarters for a Day, an executive leadership engagement focused on strengthening relationships and providing Northwest Montana leaders a closer look at the organization’s missions, capabilities and priorities.
The event included a State of the Organization briefing from Montana National Guard senior leaders, interactive breakout sessions with Department of Military Affairs programs, military static displays and orientation flights aboard Montana Army National Guard helicopters. The engagement was designed to share information with community leaders while also creating opportunities for Guard and DMA leaders to hear directly from the communities they serve.
“The Montana National Guard and the Department of Military Affairs are one team, united by one mission: serving Montana,” said Brig. Gen. Trent Gibson, The Adjutant General of Montana. “Service is not simply what we do. It is who we are.”
Kalispell plays an important role in the Montana National Guard’s statewide mission. The 495th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, headquartered in Kalispell, serves as the Guard’s command-and-control headquarters for Western and Northern Montana.
The Glacier Battalion includes approximately 477 Soldiers across six locations and nine different missions, with capabilities including engineering, firefighting, chemical response, maintenance and distribution.
During the State of the Organization briefing, leaders highlighted the broader role of the Department of Military Affairs beyond the Army and Air National Guard. Attendees learned about Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, the Montana Veterans Affairs Division, Montana Youth Challenge Academy and STARBASE Montana before meeting directly with program leaders during executive breakout sessions.
“While our Soldiers and Airmen are often more visible, the Department of Military Affairs is powered by an extraordinary team of civilian professionals, state employees, and subject matter experts who share the very same commitment to service,” said Brig. Gen. Renea Dorvall, Assistant Adjutant General-Army and deputy director of the Department of Military Affairs. “Together, they prepare communities before disasters strike, develop tomorrow’s leaders, serve our veterans, and strengthen Montana every single day.”
The senior leader briefing also highlighted Montana National Guard capabilities ranging from search and rescue and wildfire response to cyber defense, counterdrug support, military readiness and overseas operations. Brig. Gen. Mitch Moreni, director of the Joint Staff, emphasized that those capabilities are built on relationships and preparation long before Montana faces an emergency.
“The Montana National Guard is not separate from our communities. We are part of them,” Moreni said. “We prepare before emergencies occur. We respond wherever Montana calls. And we succeed because we stand beside leaders like you.”
For Northwest Montana, those capabilities are particularly relevant. Montana National Guard aviation crews routinely conduct search and rescue operations in some of the state’s most challenging terrain, while Soldiers from Kalispell and Libby have supported missions ranging from national-level military training to emergency response within the state.
The event concluded with community leaders participating in capability demonstrations and orientation flights aboard Montana Army National Guard aircraft.
Gibson closed the engagement by encouraging participants to continue the relationships established during Headquarters for a Day.
“Continue the relationships that began here. Look for opportunities where we can work together, share resources and solve problems before they become crises,” Gibson said. “Together, we will continue strengthening the communities we all call home. That is the Montana Way.”
Headquarters for a Day is designed to bring Montana National Guard and Department of Military Affairs leadership directly into communities across the state, strengthen relationships with local leaders and provide a greater understanding of the people, programs and capabilities serving Montanans.
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