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Adjutant General Craig Strong outlines Nebraska National Guard ties to University of Nebraska, UNMC medical readiness and community partnerships
Summary
Major General Craig W. Strong, Nebraska adjutant general, told the Board of Regents the National Guard is expanding partnerships with UNMC and other campuses on medical readiness, training, and community engagement, and described capabilities ranging from air refueling to chemical, biological and search‑and‑rescue teams.
LINCOLN, Neb. — Major General Craig W. Strong, adjutant general of the Nebraska National Guard, told the University of Nebraska Board of Regents on Feb. 7 that the Guard’s dual federal‑and‑state mission positions it to partner with university campuses on medical readiness, training and emergency response.
“The Nebraska National Guard…is uniquely positioned in order to provide support to a state in times of need,” Major General Craig Strong said, describing dual missions to support state homeland response and federal combat requirements. He told regents that National Guard leadership and many staff are University of Nebraska graduates and emphasized local, community‑based readiness.
Strong outlined current Guard capabilities — including KC‑135 air-refueling, aviation and engineering units, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) rapid‑response teams, the State Urban Search and Rescue Enhanced Response Force Package and counterdrug support — and described partnerships with UNMC’s Center for Sustainment, Trauma and Readiness Skills. He said the Guard has assigned two full‑time members to serve as instructors at UNMC and is exploring staging for negative‑pressure containment units that could be airlifted to affected locations.
Strong also described international training ties (the Czech Republic was cited as a NATO bio‑defense partner), ROTC and internship opportunities across campuses, and joint events such as the Veterans Day game and campus public‑affairs collaborations. He closed his remarks with the Guard’s motto and a historical note: “Strength and honor,” and recalled Nebraskan soldiers’ role in liberating Saint‑Lô in World War II.
Why it matters: The Guard’s partnerships with UNMC and other University of Nebraska campuses could expand medical readiness, training capacity and emergency response infrastructure in the state. Assigning Guard instructors to UNMC and co‑locating capabilities for high‑consequence infectious disease response would affect university operations and federal‑military coordination.
What next: Strong said work is ongoing to scope staging areas and a possible area medical squadron aligned with UNMC expertise, and that the Guard will continue coordinating with university leadership on internships, training exercises and joint capabilities.
