Latest news with #TennesseeNationalGuard
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Smyrna Airport could be new home for TN Air National Guard's 118th Wing
SMYRNA, Tenn. (WKRN) — The town of Smyrna is in the running to become the new home of the Tennessee National Guard's 118th Wing Unit. Currently, the unit is located at Joint Base Berry Field at Nashville International Airport. Initial discussion to move the unit was spurred by their lease ending with BNA in 2045. According to Senior Master Sgt. Jeremy Cornelius, who also serves as the public affairs superintendent for the 118th Wing, there is talk about moving the unit to Smyrna. However, no decisions have been made and discussions are 'very preliminary.' Behind the scenes of blimp storage at Smyrna Airport Dr. Murat Arik, director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University, spoke to News 2 about how the move would bring significant economic impact to Smyrna. 'You have the operation side, significant number of people of more than a thousand coming, who will live, eat and spend their time there,' Arik said. 'It doesn't matter if it's a business, military unit or any other institution, this will generate a significant amount of economic impact.' Arik will reportedly work with the Tennessee National Guard for an in-depth economic study later this year. He believes there are only positives when it comes to this move. ⏩ The 118th Wing serves a variety of missions. In particular, they focus on intelligence, cyber, combat support, and domestic emergency response. Smyrna Town Manager David Santucci provided the following facts and figures of the 118th Wing's potential move to Smyrna: 8 to 10 years to complete Estimated $1.93 billion in economic impact and investment to the local area Total projected impact of $5.9 billion through 2050 National Guard presence would also enhance local events, such as the Great Tennessee Air Show, and strengthen the region's emergency response capabilities To learn more about the 118th Wing, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tennessee National Guard, TEMA and more conducting disaster response exercise in Davidson County
DAVIDSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — More than 30 agencies are partnering with the Tennessee National Guard and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency to conduct a disaster response exercise in Davidson County. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → On Friday, the agencies will conduct a bridging operation at Cleece's Ferry Boat Ramp at the Cumberland River. The operation is one of several taking place during 'Vigilant Guard 2025,' which started Monday and will last through Sunday, May 18. Other operations will take place across the Volunteer State and is meant to help improve mission command and cooperation between federal, state and local agencies. 'These exercises, where we operate jointly and with various emergency responders, are crucial to our organization's readiness,' Maj. Gen. Warner Ross, Tennessee's Adjutant General, said. 'The more we work alongside one another, the more we fine-tune our policies and procedures. Building these relationships are vital to our effectiveness, and continuing to practice what we do will make all of us much better when it's time to respond to the real thing.' National Guardsmen from Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming are co-sponsoring the exercise, which is based on a 7.5-magnitude earthquake occurring along the New Madrid Seismic Zone in Tipton County, Tennessee. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → You might see an increased military presence in Davidson County because of the exercise, especially in Davidson County. The Tennessee Air National Guard will employ the MQ-9 'Reaper,' which is a remotely-piloted aircraft that will fly over the exercise site to conduct damage assessments and route reconnaisance. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump is right to turbocharge American AI and confront Chinese government
Today's military conflicts look vastly different than when I joined the Tennessee National Guard in 1990. Back then, we trained for traditional combat missions. Now, our biggest fights happen in cyberspace where hostile nations wage round-the-clock attacks against American targets. Adversaries of the United States have invested billions in sophisticated hacking operations targeting our military and civilian infrastructure — from power plants to water systems to hospitals. These attacks aim not just to steal sensitive information, but to compromise critical systems and gain advantages that could give them the upper hand in future conflicts. As a retired Army Brigadier General who served for 30 years, including a deployment during Operation Iraqi Freedom, I have seen how American technological supremacy helped protect our national security. But the challenges we face in 2025 and beyond are more complex and dangerous than ever before. Thankfully, President Trump is addressing the challenge head on by bringing tech leaders together with the new Stargate Program, which will turbocharge AI development in America and ensure we protect emerging technologies and maintain our dominance. President Trump's decisive action on AI is not a moment too soon. Chinese tech companies have rapidly developed and unveiled competing AI models like DeepSeek, despite technology export bans preventing the export of advanced chipmaking tools to China. This raises troubling questions: How did these developments emerge so quickly, and are American companies operating in China inadvertently aiding Chinese AI development? U.S. tech companies have rushed to gain a foothold in China. It makes sense – China's massive population and appetite for American tech makes it an irresistible market. But working in China comes with its own rules thanks to the iron grip of the Chinese Communist Party. One of the American companies with the largest footprints in China is Microsoft. They maintain over 9,000 employees in China, with 80% working as software engineers who develop source code for products used throughout our government. This arrangement might make business sense, but the risks to our national security are significant. Chinese law requires Microsoft to provide Communist government authorities access to this source code, encryption keys, and even backdoor access to their products. Even more concerning, Microsoft must report software vulnerabilities to Chinese regulators before notifying American customers or authorities, giving potential adversaries advance notice of weaknesses they could exploit. The consequences of these arrangements became painfully clear in the summer of 2023 when Chinese state-backed hackers breached Microsoft's systems and accessed over 60,000 emails from high-ranking officials, including our Commerce Secretary and Ambassador to China. Months later, Russian hackers penetrated Microsoft's defenses again, stealing correspondence between U.S. federal agencies and the company itself. Plain and simple: the Chinese Communist Party is using American technology to threaten our national security. Opinion: Taiwan shows how Tennessee with TVA support will be at forefront of innovation. The scale of this threat becomes even clearer when you understand just how dependent our government has become on Microsoft's products. Approximately 85% of federal employees use Microsoft software for their daily work. A core military principle is to never rely on a tool with a single point of failure − always maintain backup systems and alternate capabilities. Yet we have abandoned this wisdom in our digital infrastructure, allowing our agencies to become dangerously reliant on a single provider that maintains deep ties with an adversary. Microsoft has also worked to stifle competition by locking these agencies into restrictive contracts and charging them significantly more to use their software with other providers. The federal and military apparatus of our country is massive, yet we accept occasional security breaches of poorly secured software by China as inevitable. That's why I am encouraged by the Trump Administration and the Federal Trade Commission continuing to look at these concerning business practices. Along with this investigation, Congress must examine American tech development in China and establish new requirements ensuring companies that handle sensitive government data are not compromised by foreign adversaries. We must also promote competition in government procurement to reduce our vulnerability to any single provider. The oath I took to protect and defend the Constitution did not end when I retired from military service. Congress and the executive branch must act now to close this dangerous gap in our cyber defenses before more damage is done to our national security. Our enemies are already inside the wire – it is time to strengthen our digital fortifications and ensure American technology serves American interests first. Kurt Winstead is a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General and a practicing attorney in Nashville. He has served on the board of directors for numerous Middle Tennessee nonprofits and as an adjunct instructor for undergraduate Business Law at Belmont University. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Chinese state interference in U.S. businesses is a danger | Opinion
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ballad commits to build new Unicoi Co. Hospital
ERWIN, Tenn. (WJHL) – Sept. 27, 2024, was a fateful day that Unicoi County will never forget. Hurricane Helene swept up the East Coast, depositing about 30 inches of rain in southern Appalachia that flooded many portions of Northeast Tennessee. The floodwaters made their way to the town of Erwin and Ballad Health's Unicoi County Hospital. Ballad Health Southern Region President Lisa Carter said it's a day that she'll never forget. 'For many of us, that was the hardest day of our health care career,' Carter said. ROAD TO RECOVERY: Two nursing scholarships honoring Boone McCrary accepting donations The rushing and rising water forced dozens of patients and staff to make their way to the hospital's roof. This is where they'd remain stranded for hours. Thankfully, every person stranded would be rescued by the help of the Tennessee National Guard, Virginia State Police, and others. Six months on, the floodwaters are gone, but the remnants of what was the Unicoi County Hospital remain. Carter said the wheels are in motion to build a new hospital. 'Ballad Health is committed to that community,' Carter said. 'We're committed to rural health, and that is a very key piece of what we do in that community.' Carter explained that Ballad is working to find the right location for a new hospital in the county. It's a project that's expected to cost roughly $50 million, but about a fifth of that has already been secured in state and federal dollars. ROAD TO RECOVERY: Erwin Industries continue to recovery 6 months after Helene No equipment from the former facility is salvageable. Demolition is the most likely fate of the facility, but Carter said that finding a new spot for a new hospital and building it is the top priority. The Unicoi County Hospital was one of the newer facilities in the Ballad system. Carter said the plan is to provide the county with the absolute best. 'We want to make sure that we replicate that,' Carter said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Injured hiker rescued from ‘remote area' of the Smokies by TN National Guard
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK (WATE) — The Tennessee Army National Guard rescued an injured hiker from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Saturday. Just after 5:30 p.m., the Tennessee National Guard and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency received a notification about an injured hiker 'in a remote area of the park' on a trail near the Ramsey Cascades waterfall, east of Gatlinburg. The hiker needed medical assistance and transportation to a nearby hospital, a National Guard spokesperson explained in a press release. Human remains identified as missing Scott County man They assembled a flight crew who departed in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, flying to the area where the hiker was being helped by Park Service Rangers. Around 7:45 p.m., the two paramedics on the flight crew were lowered to the ground to do a quick medical assessment on the hiker and prepare them for transport. After a few minutes, they were hoisted into the helicopter and taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, landing at approximately 8:30 p.m. Two boys found by Tennessee troopers during search in Hancock County Medical professionals rushed the hiker into the emergency room and the aircraft returned to Lousiville, landing just before 9 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
