LATHAM, N.Y. – The New York Air National Guard activated its first Recruiting and Retention Squadron during a July 29 ceremony at New York Air National Guard headquarters, creating a centralized recruiting effort in the state.
Maj. Joshua Bowers assumed command of the newly created squadron, accepting the New York Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention Squadron guidon from Army Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of the New York National Guard.
Previously, the New York Air Guard’s recruiters had worked for the five New York Air Guard wings. The 66 personnel in the new squadron, including 38 recruiters, will now work directly for Major Gen. Gary Charlton II, the commander of the New York Air National Guard.
The Army National Guard has recruited centrally for years with Recruiting and Retention Battalions in each state. New York's Army Recruiting Battalion has been number one in the nation for the last four years for recruiting and retention.
The Air National Guard, with a directive to reach its authorized strength of 106,700 from an assigned strength of 103,605 Airmen, authorized centralized recruiting efforts across the 54 states and territorial Air Guards. Each state and territory Air Guard is creating a dedicated statewide recruiting element. Only New York is large enough to be designated as a squadron. The others are flights.
The goal, Shields said, is to use the statewide recruiting effort to bring more people into the New York Air National Guard.
“We are a people-focused organization,” Shields said.
“Our people – service members, civilian employees and contractors – are the very heart and soul of our organization,” he said. “Without them we cannot do anything.“
“The new Recruiting and Retention Squadron takes our people-focused priority to a new level in the Air National Guard,” Shields emphasized.
New York created an ad hoc recruiting concept squadron in 2025 and immediately saw results, Shields said.
According to Bowers, the New York Air National Guard, with an assigned strength of 5,908 personnel, is at 102.8% of its authorized strength of 5,748 Airmen. In 2026, New York’s Air Guard is leading the nation with 477 recruits, Shields added.
In his remarks, Bowers acknowledged Shields’ emphasis on the importance of recruiting.
“Filling the ranks is pivotal to our state and national defense,” Bowers said.
“Without the right people in those seats, our aircraft won’t fly, our supply lines will seize and our communities don’t get disaster relief when crisis strikes,” he added.
Working as a statewide recruiting force will allow the Air Guard recruiters to allocate more resources to a particular wing to help fill specific job requirements, Bowers explained. For example, an individual in Buffalo may not be able to find a slot in Niagara Falls’ 107th Attack Wing, but there may be space for that person in the 174th Attack Wing in Syracuse, he said.
The recruiters also will be able to help people find positions in other states’ Air Guards if there is no space in a New York Air Guard unit, he said.
With five flying wings and the Eastern Air Defense Sector, New York boasts the largest Air National Guard in the country. The Eastern Air Defense Sector is responsible for the air defense of the United States east of the Mississippi River, and smaller New York Air National Guard units conduct space operations missions, air war planning, signal tower construction and orchestrate joint ground attack missions.
The 107th and 174th Attack Wings operate the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft, while the 109th Airlift Wing flies the largest ski-equipped aircraft in the world.
The 105th Airlift Wing flies strategic airlift missions worldwide, while the 106th Rescue Wing is equipped for land and water rescues and missions behind enemy lines.