New York Guard Leadership
Brig. Gen. Peter Riley is currently the Commanding General of the New York Guard. Previously, he was G1 for the New York Guard, in charge of all administrative, personnel, staff, recruitment and retention functions for 400 New York Guard Soldiers. Brig. Gen. Riley joined the New York Guard as a Colonel on 26 April 2020. Soon after joining the New York Guard, he became the Commander of Task Force COVID North, a New York Military Forces response to the COVID-19 pandemic, for 100 days. COVID North Task Force had over 600 New York Army and Air National Guard and New York Guard Service Members that supported six testing sites and two distribution Centers from Albany to Niagara Falls.
Brig. Gen. Riley was previously a member of the New York Army National Guard, from which he retired in May 2019 after 30 years of commissioned service.
Brig. Gen. Riley was the Commander for Joint Task Force Empire Shield (JTF-ES) in NYC from 2011 until his retirement in 2019. JTF-ES is a full time, 780 person continuous anti-terrorism Task Force that conducts armed patrols and is responsible for deterring terrorism in transit hubs in NYC. JTF-ES also responded during and after Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Riley served as the Deputy G1 as a Major with the 42nd Infantry Division in Tikrit, Iraq from 2004-2005. He is the former Headquarters detachment Commander of Camp Smith Training Site and as a Captain served in NYC at Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He also served in both the 210th Armor and 101 Cavalry in the New York Army National Guard as a Lieutenant
Brig. Gen. Riley’s military education includes the Intermediate Level Education (ILE) – formerly the Army Command and General Staff Officers Course, Advanced Joint Professional Military Education (AJPME) from the National Defense University in Norfolk, VA, the AG Captains’ Career Course and the Armor Officer Basic Course.
Brig. Gen. Riley’s military awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Iraq Campaign Medal, NYS defense of Liberty medal w/World Trade Center 9/11 service device, the Meritorious Services Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Overseas Service Ribbon. He holds a BA from St. Lawrence University and an MBA in Finance from Fordham University. He currently works as the Director of Veterans Services at Pace University.
He resides in Warwick, NY with his wife Maryanne and son Conor (24) and daughter Quinn (21).
As of Dec 13, 2021
CSM Robert C. Smith enlisted in the US Army in July of 1984, as a Military Police Soldier. He entered service at the rank of Private First Class due to his involvement in JROTC and an accomplished Eagle Scout in the BSA. He served for three years as a paratrooper in the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, before being Honorably Discharged (ETS) at the rank of Specialist in 1987. While in the 82d MP Company he deployed to Panama to attend the Jungle Expert Course and Sinai, Egypt to serve 6 months as a peacekeeper with the Multi-National Force and Observers (MFO). He then enlisted in the Arizona Army National Guard’s, 855th Military Police Company. After completing PLDC in 1989, he was promoted to Sergeant and deployed to Korea for Team Spirit 90 and in 1990/91 to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. SGT Smith remained on active duty with a counter narcotics task force in Arizona until transferring to Fort Hood, Texas in 1995. While at Fort Hood, SGT Smith deployed as a peacekeeper to Panama for six months with the 401st Military Police Company. Upon return to Ft Hood, SGT Smith was inducted into the SGT Audie Murphy Club and attended BNCOC.
In August of 1998, SGT Smith reenlisted to transfer back to the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. Assigned as a Squad Leader with the 82d Military Police Company, he was promoted to Staff Sergeant (SSG) in July of that year and deployed three times to the Joint Readiness Training Center, Ft Polk, LA and the National Training Center, Ft Irwin, CA. In May 2000, SSG Smith was deployed as a Squad Leader again to Sinai, Egypt with the MFO as a peacekeeper. While deployed to Egypt, SSG Smith was recruited by US Army Special Operations Command to be assigned upon his return to CONUS with the 1st SFOD-D (ABN) Delta Force. In February of 2001, SSG Smith deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 2 times over 2001-2003. In the summer of 2003 SSG Smith attended ANCOC and promoted to Sergeant First Class (SFC). During the years 2003-2005 SFC Smith deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 4 times. In 2006 SFC Smith was promoted to Master Sergeant and assigned to the Selection and Training Troop of the Unit until his retirement from the U.S. Army in December of 2008.
In December of 2019, MSG Smith enlisted in the New York Guard and was assigned to the 2 Detachment, 56th Area Command as the detachments First Sergeant. In December of 2020, 1SG Smith was selected as the 56th Area Command, Command Sergeant Major. MSG Smith was promoted to CSM in September 2021 and selected to be the NYG State CSM in November 2021 where he currently serves.
CSM Smith serves as a Federal Senior Training Police Officer with the United States Mint Police Department at West Point, NY since January 2015. His duties include all Police instruction and programs affiliated with training, firearms, and in-service qualifications. Prior to 2015 he was a Sergeant with a police department in North Carolina as a patrol SGT and SWAT Team Member/Sniper from 2008-2015.
CSM Smith currently resides in Rock Tavern, NY, is married with two children and three grandchildren, and belongs to several veteran based organizations.
As of Feb 13, 2023
