NY Army Guard Lt. Col. Gurpreet Singh, a Goshen resident, takes command of specialized NY Army National Guard element

Camp Smith Training Site, New York (04/26/2022) — New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Gurpreet Singh, a Goshen resident, a veteran of the Afghan War, and a New York City police detective in civilian life, took command of the 53rd Digital Liaison Detachment during a formal change-of-command ceremony at the Camp Smith Training Site in Cortlandt Manor on Friday, Apr. 22.

The detachment is a specialized unit whose members are trained to integrate into high-level army headquarters and coordinate with units from other nations or services. Singh replaced Col. Chris A. Guilmette, a resident of Voorheesville near Albany, as the commander.

Singh, previously served as the 42d Infantry Division Chief of Protection and the Deputy Commander of the FEMA Region II Homeland Response Force. His other positions included leadership and senior staff positions in the 42d Infantry Division, including company commander, battalion operations officer, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear officer.

Singh has deployed to Afghanistan and Kuwait and has been part of the New York National Guard response to the World Trade Center attack of Sept 11, 2001, and Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Singh joined the Army National Guard in 1998. He earned his commission in 2003 from the Reserve Officer Training Corps and holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is a graduate of the Chemical Officer Basic Course, CBRN Captain Career Course, and Advanced Operation Course.

In civilian life, Singh is a Detective with the New York City Police Department, assigned to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism Task Force New York Field Office.

He and his wife Donna have two children, Zara and Zoie.

The 53rd Digital Liaison Detachment trains to coordinate, communicate and facilitate all aspects of military operations at higher level-headquarters. The unit is specifically designed and dedicated to providing a critical capability for mission command liaison and interoperability. The unit carries the lineage and honors of the New York National Guard's historic 7th Regiment and is headquartered at the historic Park Avenue Armory.

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