{"id":406043,"date":"2025-04-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=406043"},"modified":"2025-04-09T09:24:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T09:24:09","slug":"raines-visits-saipan-focuses-on-troop-support-readiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=406043","title":{"rendered":"Raines Visits Saipan, Focuses on Troop Support, Readiness"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n From left, Command Sgt. Maj. Celso Leonen, Guam National Guard\u2019s command senior enlisted leader; Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the chief, National Guard Bureau; Edward Camacho, special assistant to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands governor for military affairs; and Harry Blanco, the CNMI, field representative under the Office of Insular Affairs, conduct a leader engagement at Saipan\u2019s Department of Military Affairs, April 3, 2025. Raines and Leonen visited Saipan to gain a firsthand look at how Guard members serve their nation and collaborate with joint partners to meet mission requirements.
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\n Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the chief of the National Guard Bureau and Command Sgt. Maj. Celso Leonen, Guam National Guard\u2019s command senior enlisted leader, visited Saipan to gain a firsthand look at how Guard members serve their nation and collaborate with joint partners to fulfill mission requirements.
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\n Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, the top enlisted advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Command Sgt. Maj. Celso Leonen, Guam National Guard\u2019s command senior enlisted leader, visited Saipan April 3 – 4, 2025, to gain a firsthand look at how Guard members serve their nation and collaborate with joint partners to fulfill mission requirements.
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\n Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the chief of the National Guard Bureau right, talks to Staff Sgt. Cameron Petty, left, a U.S. Army Reservist assigned to the installation in Garapan, Saipan, April 3, 2025 where the Guard members on Saipan are partnering with the U.S. Army Reserve\u2014which has a base on the island\u2014to improve readiness. As part of the visit Raines and Command Sgt. Maj. Celso Leonen, Guam National Guard\u2019s command senior enlisted leader, visited Saipan to gain a firsthand look at how Guard members serve their nation and collaborate with joint partners to fulfill mission requirements.
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SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands \u2013 The National Guard serves in nearly every ZIP code\u2014from the southern U.S. border to remote islands in the western Pacific. For some Guard members, geographic distance adds unique challenges in executing their mission.<\/p>\n

Such is the case for those serving in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.<\/p>\n

Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, the top enlisted advisor to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, and Command Sgt. Maj. Celso Leonen, Guam National Guard\u2019s command senior enlisted leader, visited Saipan April 3\u20134, 2025, to gain a firsthand look at how Guard members serve their nation and collaborate with joint partners to fulfill mission requirements.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got more than 120 Army National Guard Soldiers on this small island, where sustaining readiness can be challenging,\u201d Raines said. \u201cI wanted to gain a better understanding of the unique issues these Guardsmen face\u2014whether it\u2019s the cost and logistics of traveling to drill or securing medical care for them and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n

Members of the 430,000-strong National Guard serve their state or territory under the command of the governor, and when federally activated, under the commander-in-chief.<\/p>\n

However, U.S. territories like the Northern Mariana Islands do not maintain a separate state-level military force or National Guard due to their size. As a result, local residents who want to serve must enlist in the Guam National Guard. Guam is one of Saipan\u2019s closest neighbors, but 130 miles of Pacific Ocean separate the two. Lodging and transportation can be difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question we have to ask is, how can we support these men and women so their service is as effective and fulfilling as possible?\u201d Raines asked. \u201cAnd how can we help build readiness locally, so Guardsmen here don\u2019t always need to travel back to Guam to meet requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Readiness remains a top priority for military leaders at every level. Although it was Raines\u2019 first visit to Saipan, it marked the second time in five months that he and Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, traveled to the Indo-Pacific region.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur two priority theaters right now are the homeland\u2014which includes the southern border, where U.S. Northern Command is the lead military organization\u2014and the Indo-Pacific,\u201d Raines said.<\/p>\n

In addition to the southern border, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam are also potential entry points for undocumented migrants. In recent months, law enforcement reports indicate illegal entry schemes involving Chinese nationals have resulted in multiple arrests.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our responsibility to understand these challenges and to be part of the solution,\u201d Raines said. \u201cTo project peace through strength, we first have to be strong ourselves. That means developing strategies that offer the greatest deterrence if our citizens are ever threatened.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite logistical hurdles, Guard members on Saipan are partnering with the U.S. Army Reserve\u2014which has a base on the island\u2014to improve readiness. During the visit, Raines and Leonen toured Saipan\u2019s Department of Military Affairs and the U.S. Army Reserve armory, emphasizing the importance of sharing resources and working together.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing able to use these facilities is one step toward ensuring every service member has the tools they need for a rapid and efficient response,\u201d Leonen said. \u201cI expect all my NCOs to lead from the front by building partnerships with the local community and government. Our formations in Guam are unique, and through a collaborative approach, we strengthen collective resiliency, build capacity and increase our ability to respond when needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raines thanked Reserve members for supporting both the Guard and national defense efforts in Guam and the broader Marianas region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re a team of teams, including our sister services,\u201d Raines said. \u201cWe never fight alone, so we can\u2019t develop warfighting concepts in isolation. These partnerships help ensure we\u2019re good stewards of taxpayer dollars\u2014you can\u2019t wait for war to figure out how to work together. And when resources are tight, we have to find every opportunity to partner up and share what we have.\u201d<\/p>\n

As part of a broader itinerary, Raines also accompanied Gen. Nordhaus to Guam and Hawaii, meeting with Guardsmen and commending their dedication despite challenges posed by distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou hear a lot about the propensity to serve,\u201d Raines said. \u201cWell, look at places like Guam, CNMI, and American Samoa. The numbers of service members they provide to the U.S. military are some of the highest per capita.<\/p>\n

\u201cOffering opportunities to serve outside the active-duty environment, like the Guard or Reserve, is vital,\u201d he said. \u201cIt means these individuals who want to wear a uniform don\u2019t have to choose between a civilian career and military service\u2014they can do both.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2013http:\/\/www.nationalguard.mil<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/x.com\/USNationalGuard<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 From left, Command Sgt. Maj. Celso Leonen, Guam National Guard\u2019s command senior enlisted leader; Senior Enlisted Advisor John Raines, SEA to the chief, National Guard Bureau; Edward Camacho, special assistant to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands governor for military affairs; and Harry Blanco, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":406045,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-406043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=406043"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406043\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":406050,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/406043\/revisions\/406050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/406045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=406043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=406043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=406043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}