Liverpool resident named Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year by New York Air National Guard

Master Sgt. Justin Phillips will now compete to be best in the entire Air National Guard

Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, Syracuse, New York (02/07/2023) — New York Air National Guard Master Sgt. Justin Phillips, a Liverpool resident and a member of the 174th Attack Wing, has been named Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year for the 5,800-member New York Air National Guard

He was selected for the top honors based on his leadership, job performance and personal achievement, from names submitted by the New York Air National Guard's five flying wings and the Eastern Air Defense Sector.

The recognition is awarded annually as part of the Air Force Best Airman competition which recognizes enlisted Airmen at different points of their career.

Phillips was lauded for his achievement by 174th Attack Wing Commander Colonel William McCrink.

"Congratulations, well done, and well deserved," said McCrink.

Phillips will now compete against Airmen in the 53 other Air National Guards to see who is picked as the top senior non-commissioned officer in the Air National Guard of the United States.

Phillips was also recently selected to become a commissioned officer and an MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft pilot.

Phillips currently serves as the logistics superintendent for the 174th Security Forces Squadron, which provides air base ground defense for Hancock Field and executes deployment taskings to bases outside the United States, while also supporting domestic operations missions within New York and the United States.

As the logistics superintendent, Phillips leads multiple sections through the management of resources, budget, equipment requirements, and readiness for security forces Airmen, ultimately maximizing deployment capabilities across the globe in both domestic and contingency operations.

He is also responsible for leading the squadron's combat arms section that trains Airmen on small arms tactics and engagement techniques while maintaining and repairing all weapon systems assigned to the wing.

Phillips entered the Air Force in 2008 as a security forces apprentice assigned to the 174th Security Forces Squadron. He has deployed multiple times to the Middle East and supported numerous domestic operations taskings throughout the United States.

In 2012 he was appointed as the combat arms non-commissioned officer in charge, where he managed multiple personnel, thousands of weapons qualifications, and maintained over a thousand small arms weapons systems.

In 2015 he was appointed as the security forces training non-commissioned officer in charge. In that position he prepared the squadron for future deployment taskings by leading a robust training plan across multiple training sites.

Prior to his current position, Phillips led 350 security forces Airmen as the operations superintendent for the Air Force's largest Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, the 379th Security Forces Squadron at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

Phillips' awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air and Space Commendation Medal, the Air and Space Achievement Medal and the Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal.

He was also a Basic Training Honor Graduate, Security Forces Apprentice Course Distinguished Graduate, Combat Arms Commander's Top Graduate, and the 2021 Air National Guard Security Forces Support Staff Senior Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year.

The 174th Attack Wing, based at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, flies the MQ-9 Reaper on operational missions around the world from a command post at the base.

The wing also trains MQ-9 pilots, sensor operators and mechanics at Hancock Field.

Wing Airmen deploy overseas as required and also respond the New York state emergencies when directed by the governor.

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