NY Air Guard Commander will be promoted to two-star general at Stewart Air Guard Base ceremony on Tuesday, October 8

Media Advisory

NEWBURGH, New York (10/07/2024) — Brigadier General Michael Bank, the commander of the 5,800- member New York Air National Guard, and a Darien Center resident, will be promoted to two-star general during a ceremony at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh on Tuesday, October 8.

Members of the press are invited to attend the ceremony.

WHO: Brigadier General Michael Bank, the commander of the New York Air National Guard, Major General Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York and the presiding officer, New York Air National Guard leaders from across New York, the men and women of the 105th Airlift Wing which is based at Stewart Air National Guard Base.

WHAT: A traditional promotion ceremony in which Shields will swear Bank in as a Major General. As commander of the New York Air National Guard, Bank oversees five air wings and the Eastern Air Defense Sector.

WHEN: 1 p.m. on Tuesday, October 8, 2024

WHERE: Stewart Air National Guard Base, 1 Maguire Way, Newburgh, New York

COVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES:

Reporters can capture still and video imagery of the promotion ceremony and interview Bank.

Members of the media who wish to cover this event must contact 1st Lt. Briana Ross at email 105.AW.PA.Mailbox.Org@us.af.mil or call at 845-563-2031 no later than noon on October 7 for access to this secure military facility.

BACKGROUND:

BRIG GEN. MICHAEL BANK

Brig. Gen. Michael Bank, a Darien Center resident, took command of the 5,800-member New York Air National Guard during a ceremony at New York National Guard headquarters in Latham on Monday, June 3.

Bank earned his commission in the Air Force through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Florida State University.

He joined the Active Air Force in 1988 and served as a B-52 bomber navigator until 1994, when he transferred to the New York Air National Guard's 107th Refueling Wing in Niagara Falls, New York.

In 1999, he qualified as a pilot and then served in a number of positions in the 107th, including wing vice commander, as it transitioned to an airlift wing.

From 2015 to 2020, he served as the commander of the 106th Rescue Wing, based at F.S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach on Long Island.

In 2020 he was assigned as an assistant adjutant general for the New York Air National Guard, while also serving as Air National Guard Assistant to the Commander of the U.S., Air Force Expeditionary Center, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.

He has 1,800 hours of flying service as a senior navigator and is a command pilot with over 5,000 flying hours in the B-52H, KC-135R, C-130H, and HC-130J.

Bank holds a Bachelor of Science in computer and information science. He is a graduate of the Air Command Staff College, the Air War College, and the Joint and Combined Warfighting School.

His awards include The Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal and the Air Force Expeditionary Service Medal.

NEW YORK AIR NATIONAL GUARD

With a strength of 5,807 Airmen, the New York Air National Guard is the largest state Air National Guard organization in the country.

New York Air National Guard's five wings operate 45 aircraft, ranging from the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft to the C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter.

The New York Air National Guard also includes the Eastern Air Defense Sector, which is responsible for air defense east of the Mississippi, along with a headquarters element at New York National Guard Headquarters in Latham.

The New York Air National Guard's 107th Attack Wing and 174th Attack Wing operate the MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft; the 106th Rescue Wing operates the HC-13J search and rescue plane, and HH-60G and HH-60W rescue helicopters; The 109th Airlift Wing operates ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft, while the 105th Airlift Wing operates the C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter.

The New York Air National Guard also includes space operations, air war planning, air support, and engineer and air defense elements.