Joint Task Force Empire Shield is an element of the

New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

partly responsible for the military defense of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, primarily the deterrence and prevention of internal security threats. It is composed of personnel from the

New York Army National Guard The New York Army National Guard is a component of the New York National Guard and the Army National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the United States Army's available combat forces and approximate ...

, the New York Air National Guard, the

New York Guard The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force (SDF) of New York State, and is one of the four branches of the New York Military Forces (NYMF), the other three branches being the New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard ...

, and the

New York Naval Militia The New York Naval Militia is the naval militia of the state of New York, and is under the authority of the Governor of New York as Commander-In-Chief of the state's military forces. With the New York Guard, the New York Army National Guard and ...

History

New York National Guard at Grand Central Station

Joint Task Force Empire Shield was activated in response to the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

. As of 2009, New York was spending $16 million per biennium to maintain Joint Task Force Empire Shield. By 2011 this had grown to $19.5 million. For 2018 the proposed budget for Empire Shield was $33 million.

Organization

Empire Shield is composed of three ''

ad hoc ''Ad hoc'' is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning literally for this. In English language, English, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a Generalization, generalized solution ...

'' companies: Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie. Personnel are drawn from the

, the New York Air National Guard, the

, and the

who are placed on state active duty status. In 2017, the force had an authorized, but not actual, strength of 500 personnel. The three companies rotate between three mission assignments: quick reaction force (QRF), pop-up mission, and training cycle. The quick reaction force fulfills the National Guard reaction forces mission in New York City, which provides combat units "designed to respond to an incident ahead of federal assets with the capability to be logistically self-sustaining for up to 72 hours". Pop-up mission elements, meanwhile, conduct preventative patrols of New York transportation hubs including Penn Station,

Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

, and

LaGuardia Airport LaGuardia Airport ( ) – colloquially known as LaGuardia or simply LGA – is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, situated on the North Shore (Long Island), northwestern shore of Long Island, bord ...

. Joint Task Force Empire Shield also conducts random patrols at the

Indian Point Energy Center Indian Point Energy Center (I.P.E.C.) is a now defunct three-unit nuclear power station located in Buchanan, just south of Peekskill, in Westchester County, New York. It sits on the east bank of the Hudson River, about north of Midtown Manh ...

, a nuclear power plant in

Buchanan, New York Buchanan is a village located in the town of Cortlandt in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 2,302 as of the 2020 census. The now decommissioned Indian Point nuclear power facility is located in Buchanan. The 2000 ...

. In March 2024 the field of operation was extended to the subway to assist the MTA Police and the

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

to check bags of commuters, due to increasing crime in the subway system. Joint Task Force Empire Shield is headquartered at

Fort Hamilton Fort Hamilton is a United States Army installation in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights. It is one of several posts that are part of the region which ...

Notes

References

{{reflist, 2 Joint task forces of the United States Armed Forces New York National Guard National Guard (United States) Military units and formations established in the 2000s

History

Organization

See also

Notes

References