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FOR RELEASE: Friday, Feb 01, 2008

The 44-foot patrol board officially added to the New York Naval Militia’s force Friday provides new capabilities for the state’s maritime security efforts. The shallow draft of Patrol Boat 440-21 inches-its water-jet propulsion and “fly-by-wire” computer controlled steering system enable the boat to go into very shallow waters on the periphery of New York Harbor, said Major General Robert Wolf, the commander of the New York Naval Militia. “It allows us to get into places that a conventional boat can’t,” Wolf said. “It’s a more flexible platform with state-of-the-art capabilities which include an infrared camera, dive platform, and GPS navigation.” PB 440 will be operated by an on-call crew belonging to the Naval Militia’s Military Emergency Boat Service, or MEBS. MEBS currently operates 10 watercraft used for homeland security and to provide assistance to law enforcement on New York’s waters. It will also work in conjunction with the New York National Guard’s Joint Task Force Empire Shield, which provides homeland security services in the New York City area. The new patrol boat will be used mainly in New York harbor. When required the boat will be available to assist law enforcement personal , including members of the United States Coast guard, in executing maritime enforcement duties. “Acquiring PB 440 is an example of the emphasis the New York State Division of Military and Naval is placing on assisting security and law enforcement in New York City,” said Major General Joseph Taluto, the Adjutant General and commander of New York’s Military Forces. “New York is the only state that has a full-time, state-funded, military force that focuses on homeland security,” he added. Susan Taluto, a former Army National Guard officer, and the wife of the Adjutant General christened Patrol Boat 440 in a traditional naval naming ceremony on Friday, Feb. 1 at the State University of New York Maritime College in New York City. The $790,000 cost of the boat was covered by a federal homeland security grant. The New York Naval Militia is one of seven state naval forces in the United States. The Naval Militia is comprised mainly of 3,200 Navy, Coast Guard Reserve, and Marine Corps Reserve members who also volunteer to perform State Active Duty Missions at the direction of the governor. The Naval Militia is a component of the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs which is also responsible for the New York Army and Air National Guard. The Naval Militia’s MEBS also operates two patrol boats to help enforce an exclusion zone in the Hudson River near the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants in Westchester County. PB 440 is driven by water jets powered by two 600 horse power Cummins 8.3 liter diesel engines. This allows the boat enter waters as shallow as two feet. The Catamaran design hull is made of marine grade aluminum. The boat is steered with a Blue Arrow Electronic Control System and is 43 feet, six inches long and 16 feet wide. The boat is run by two-to-four mariners and can carry ten passengers. PB 440 was built by Mooseboats Inc. of Petaluma, California. It was financed through a Homeland Security grant. It will be based at the USCG Sector New York base at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island. Fuel for the vessel is being supplied by the Coast Guard under an operating agreement. Major General Joseph Taluto: Major General (MG) Joseph J. Taluto was appointed The Adjutant General for the State of New York on January 23, 2006. Prior to that assignment, Major Gen. Taluto served as commander of the 42nd Infantry Division; commanding Task Force Liberty-a force of 20,000 Active Duty, Reserve, and National Guard Soldiers--in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III from 2004-2005. In 2001 MG Taluto served as the Joint Task Force Commander during the 42nd Infantry Division’s initial emergency response mission to assist the City of New York in its security and recovery operations following the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center. He directed a force of some 2,000 Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines to assist the city’s Office of Emergency Management. The General’s military service began in 1965 as an enlisted Soldier in the New York Army National Guard. He was commissioned in 1968 and has served in a variety of assignments at all levels of command including: Chief of Staff of the 53rd Troop Command, Chief of Staff of the 42nd Infantry Division, Chief of Staff of the New York State Area Command, Deputy Commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade and Assistant Division Commander of the 42nd Infantry Division. Major Gen. Robert Wolf: Major Gen. Wolf assumed command of the New York Naval Militia in 2007. A veteran of 30 years in the Marine Corps, Maj. Gen. Wolf has served as a Rifle Platoon Commander, Infantry Company Commander, Operations Officer for the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit during Operation Desert Storm, and Officer-In-Charge of the Camp Lejeune, Special Missions Section. He finished his Marine Corps career as a Lt. Col. in a joint billet at Fort Monmouth New Jersey, a United States Army post. Major. Gen. Wolf was commissioned into the New York Naval Militia in 1994 and promoted to colonel and became deputy commander for operations. In July 1996 he was placed on State Active Duty to command the Naval Militia’s Flight 800 Task Force which assisted with the recover of Flight 800, the airliner which blew up and crashed of the Long Island coast. He was promoted to Brig. General in 1999 and served as a member of the Governor’s Y2K Task Force. He was promoted to Major General on Jan. 25, 2008 .