Photo by Steven St. John / Tribune

Members of the New Mexico National Guard's Alpha Company train with live ammunition on Kirtland Air Force Base. The unit, based in Rio Rancho, was created a little over two years ago as a part of the Guard's shift in focus away from air defense. "Air defense was useful in the Cold War when we faced an enemy with an air force," said Brigadier Gen. Kenny Montoya, the commander of the New Mexico National Guard.