National Guard's top general officer to administer oaths to military's newest members in Times Square

Media Advisory

NEW YORK (09/11/2023) — Army four-star General Dan Hokanson, the top National Guard officer and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will recognize more than a dozen of the military's newest members during an oath affirmation ceremony held September 11, 2023 in Times Square at 2 p.m.

Six New York National Guard Soldiers and an equal number of Airmen are expected to join the Chief of the National Guard Bureau to reaffirm their service oath as part of the National Guard's commemoration of September 11.

Members of the press are invited to cover the event and speak with Hokanson.

WHO: General Dan Hokanson, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, and some of the newest Soldiers and Airmen of the New York National Guard.

WHAT: Oath affirmation for those entering the U.S. military.

WHEN: 2 p.m., Monday, September 11, 2023. Completion expected before 2:45.

WHERE: U.S. Army Recruiting Office, Times Square, 200 W 43rd St, New York, NY 10036.

Media Opportunity:

Visual imagery of General Hokanson administering an oath of service with the newest members of the New York National Guard and U.S. military.

Background:

General Dan Hokanson

General Dan Hokanson is responsible for ensuring the more than 453,000 Army and Air National Guard personnel are accessible, capable, and ready to protect the homeland and provide combat ready resources to the Army and Air Force.

General Hokanson served previously as the Director of the Army National Guard, and earlier as the 11th Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

General Hokanson graduated from the United States Military Academy and served on active duty in Air Cavalry, Attack Helicopter and Aircraft Test organizations prior to joining the Oregon National Guard. He has commanded at the company, battalion, and brigade combat team levels, and served as the 30th Adjutant General of the State of Oregon. General Hokanson also served as the Deputy Commander of U.S. Northern Command, and Vice Commander, U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

His combat deployments include Operations Just Cause, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. He commanded the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Iraq and served as Chief of Staff for Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix in Afghanistan.

New York Army National Guard Recruiting Success in 2023

The New York Army National Guard continues its trend to outperform recruiting goals for 2023.

New York was the only state Army National Guard to exceed its recruiting goals for the last federal fiscal year which ended September 30, 2022. New York brought in 1,210 new enlisted Soldiers. This works out to 103 percent of the recruiting goal.

The New York Army National Guard also gained 159 new officers during the last fiscal year. This exceeded the target of 138 set by National Guard Bureau.

By October 1, 2022, the New York Army National Guard's assigned strength was 10,707 Soldiers. This was 105 percent of its authorized strength of 10,194.

Authorized strength is the number of Soldiers needed to fill all necessary positions.

This was the fourth year in a row the New York Army National Guard met or exceeded its recruiting goals, according to Lt. Col. Josh Heimroth, the commander of the New York Army National Guard's recruiting and retention battalion.

Nationally, the Army National Guard has a strength of 329,700 Soldiers.

As of August 15, the New York National Guard had 10,929 Soldiers. This is 107 percent of its authorized strength of 10,205.

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