New York National Guard Office of the Adjutant General

Our Military Forces Always Meet the Challenge

Command Message By Major General Raymond Shields,
Adjutant General for New York State

Hello everyone. I hope you and your family are doing well.

We finally made it to spring 2025 and are finally done with another cold, snowy and eventful winter!

The last time I wrote for the inside cover of “Guard Times” was in 2022. Since then, I have enjoyed reading the thoughts of our other senior leaders. But I thought it would be appropriate for me to write this section for this edition.

The biggest events since my last inside cover in 2022 have been domestic responses here in New York.

We finished our COVID-19 support in July 2022 (with 1.8 million total workdays); then started the Asylum Seeker support mission in September 2022, ending that in January 2025 (with 1.273 million total workdays).

Then from February 18 to March 31, 2025, we involuntarily mobilized almost our entire New York Army and Air National Guard to respond to the statewide prison strike.

At our peak on March 11th, we had 7,359 service members on duty.

The last prison strike in 1979 used more than 12,000 members of the New York National Guard at one time. As far as we know, the 2025 prison strike is our single largest activation for a state mission since 1979.

I want to thank everyone who responded.

I know this was not an easy mission. This was involuntary duty and involved working in unfamiliar conditions with incarcerated individuals; with uncertainty and anxiety regarding the length of the involuntary call-up; less than adequate living conditions inside the prisons; separation from family, friends, school or work; and many other inconveniences.

However, you must know your service was necessary and much appreciated by the governor and by me.

During the strike, every time I spoke to the governor, she had nothing by praise for the work you all did.

She also realized the sacrifice you were making and authorized special duty pay of up to $2,000 per pay period.

Thank you to everyone involved in the involuntary mobilization.

On April 1, 2025, we reverted to a voluntary mission supporting the Department of Corrections and Community Services. As I write this, we have some 3,000 volunteer service members working in 34 prisons statewide.

This support, which we have now opened to our Naval Militia and the New York Guard members as well, could go on for many months.

In other areas, the New York National Guard and our State Defense Forces continue to exceed all expectations.

In an historic turnaround, both the New York Army and Air National Guard are national leaders in recruiting and retention.

The New York Army National Guard is on track to be the best recruiting and retention state of the 54 for FY 2025, which will be the fifth year in a row.

Our Army National Guard presently exceeds 112% assigned strength, and we are the national leader for quality strength, while our Air National Guard had the most accessions of any state in the 2024 fiscal year.

These are amazing accomplishments.

We are also now involved in our third State Partnership Program.

On July 12, 2024, Sweden and the New York National Guard signed our formal document to become partners under the National Guard Bureau program.

We have been partnered with South Africia since 2003, and Brazil since 2018.

Since signing the agreement with Sweden, our engagements and cooperation with that nation’s military have taken off. Russia’s war on Ukraine and Sweden’s NATO membership in March 2024 have heightened that sense of urgency.

Lastly, we recently held the grand re-opening of the $129 Million Jamaica Armory and Field Maintenance Shop after years of construction, and we awarded the construction contract to rehabilitate the Lexington Avenue Armory for $123 Million.

In total we have spent more than $373 Million on our armories in New York City, to ensure that our Soldiers have world class facilities to train in.

Thank you all for everything you do to support the New York National Guard and our State Defense Forces.

We cannot do anything without you, your family’s support, and that of your employer. Thank you for being a member of our organization.

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