NEW YORK — Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, hosted seven delegates from the Swedish Embassy and the Swedish Armed Forces HQ, February 7-9, for a visit highlighting New York National Guard capability, and domestic operations and civilian-military cooperation in the New York City area.
The delegation, composed of Swedish air force, army, navy, and Swedish Ministry of Defense representatives, got a first-hand look at New York Army and Air operations. They also got a chance to meet representatives of the city, state, and federal agencies the New York National Guard works with.
Sweden is in the final parts of the process of joining the NATO alliance. Now Sweden is also seeking to participate in the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, which has linked National Guard forces to the militaries of over 100 nations around the globe since its inception in 1993.
Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, has said that Swedish participation in the program would benefit both the National Guard and NATO.
“I am the biggest supporter of Sweden joining the State Partnership Program,” Hokanson said, emphasizing his support for Sweden’s application to join NATO. “Sweden will bring instant capability to both NATO and the State Partnership Program.”
Brig. Gen. Isabel Smith, director of joint staff for the New York Army National Guard, said that the Guard’s ability to work alongside state and civilian partners offers unique perspectives to foreign counterparts who want to foster similar relationships in their own countries.
“It was an honor and privilege to host the Sweden delegation, where we provided New York Army and Air National Guard capabilities, as well as a comprehensive overview of our state and federal missions,” Smith said.
Meeting with representatives from the New York National Guard in person revealed more about the state’s capabilities and the needs of the region than originally anticipated, said Swedish Navy (Marine) Maj. Gen. Rikard Askstedt, the Swedish embassy, defense attaché.
“In addition to my previous experiences of New York City, I now also have had the privilege to meet the city from the air and from the sea, which really adds dimensions to only experiencing the city by foot or by car,” said Askstedt, who headed the Swedish team.
“Another interesting discovery was the cooperation between several agencies for the protection of New York and its harbors, including the New York Naval Militia,” he said.
He had never heard of that type of organization in a state National Guard, Asktedt said.
Along with Shields, Maj. Gen. Denise Donnell, the assistant adjutant general - Air, and Maj. Gen. Michele Natali, the assistant general - Army, also met with the Swedish delegation.
The visit began on Feb. 7 at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, where the Swedish officials received a briefing on New York Air Guard capabilities. This was followed by a tour of base facilities and a walk through of aircraft.
The following day, the Swedish team visited the 369th Regiment Armory in Harlem for presentations on New York Army Guard strength, and domestic operations.
That was followed by a trip to the Brooklyn Army Terminal for a harbor security and operations discussion with representatives of the New York Police and Fire Departments, the New York Naval Militia, the Coast Guard and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Those briefings were followed by a tour of New York harbor on board Naval Militia Patrol Boat 440 which highlighted harbor security issues.
The Naval Militia boat patrols New York harbor in coordination with the Coast Guard as part of Joint Task Force Empire Shield, the New York National Guard security force which operates in the city.
On February 9, the Swedish delegation and New York National Guard leaders met with New York City Emergency Management staff, followed by a tour of the New York Police Department’s Joint Operations Center in Manhattan.
They also got a UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter tour of the New York metropolitan area. This gave the visitors the opportunity to observe and discuss the considerations of urban terrain operations, said Maj. Roman Rushtlion, the New York National Guard operations liaison officer to New York City’s Emergency Management Office.
The region’s unique challenges can provide foreign partners with their own lessons and strategies for managing challenges at home, he explained.
“New York State is socially and geographically diverse, requiring complex systems to ensure the public's needs are met,” said Rushtlion.
“The New York National Guard is interwoven into these systems across the State to be able to respond to the support requirements of our civilian partners,” he added.
This visit marks the latest effort by the New York National Guard to foster collaboration with foreign partners, Smith said.
“I firmly believe that a partnership with the National Guard in general, and with the National Guard of a state like New York in particular, have a great potential to be mutually beneficial,” said Askstedt.
“We also hope that our capabilities, equipment and systems, technological edge as well as our experience of operating in arctic conditions could be of great value,” Askstedt added.
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