The Division of Military and Naval Affairs of New York, responsible for managing the New York Army National Guard, Air National Guard, New York Guard, and Naval Militia, has released its Annual Report for 2023. The report highlights various missions undertaken by the New York Guard, including critical civil support operations. The New York Guard was heavily involved in responding to state emergencies, such as the migrant influx in New York City, and played a significant role in concluding the COVID-19 pandemic mission. In total, 3,334 members from the New York Army and Air National Guard, the New York Naval Militia, and the New York Guard participated in nine state civil support missions, accounting for 855,044 duty days. Additionally, Joint Task Force Empire Shield, comprising 700 personnel, continued to support law enforcement agencies in New York City.
In 2023, the Division of Military and Naval Affairs executed the annual interoperability exercise, Empire Challenge, which saw the participation of 51 service members from the New York Guard, Naval Militia, and Joint Task Force Empire Shield. Conducted across various locations in New York State with a command post in Brooklyn, the exercise aimed to refine and validate communication platforms among different agencies, including the New York Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and the Civil Air Patrol. The exercise also involved anti-terrorism and radio communication drills, with participation from Brazilian Naval Officers through the National Guard State Partnership Program, and airborne communication support from the Civil Air Patrol, enhancing coordination across the state.
The rest of the report covers basic information regarding The New York Guard. It highlights that The New York Guard, New York’s uniformed state defense force, is composed of volunteers who augment the National Guard during state emergencies and security missions. Unlike the National Guard, state guard personnel cannot be mobilized for federal duty and are not authorized to carry weapons. With an authorized strength of 804 personnel, the New York Guard had 329 members as of December 2023, many of whom had prior military service. Commanded by Brig. Gen. Pete Riley, the New York Guard has a history dating back to World War I and has been a crucial component of state emergency response efforts. During 2023, New York Guard personnel participated in 14 state active duty missions, including asylum seeker support, winter weather response, wildfire containment, flood operations, and water main repairs. Their annual training at Camp Smith included leadership courses, communications training, and support for asylum seeker missions, reflecting their ongoing commitment to state service.
Unfortunately due to The New York Guard’s leadership decision to disband their Public Affair Department, we will only see little to no news from this State Defense Force for the rest of the year. We will try to work with The New York National Guard to see if we can get you some In The Field footage and interviews of New York Guard trainings and missions. We will keep you apprised of our progress.
Here are the pages where The New York Guard were mentioned and highlighted:
Source: DVIDS
