Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Stephanie Butler | New York Naval Militia Patrol Boat 280 (right), along with the New York State Parks...... read more read more
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NIAGARA, N.Y. – Forty-one New York Naval Militia and New York Guard members conducted an emergency response exercise June 5-6 on the lower Niagara River alongside the Coast Guard, and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
The exercise named “Empire Challenge,” was centered on Coast Guard Station Niagara and Fort Niagara State Park.
The joint training exercise scenario was built around supporting law enforcement authorities working to stop drug smuggling by boat from Canada to the United States.
The exercise participants tested their ability to communicate and respond to emergencies including a person in the water, swift water rescue, drug smuggling by water and land, and divers entering the Niagara River by helicopter.
The drill involved testing a wide range of communication platforms, testing the interoperability between federal, state and local entities.
The training scenario allowed the New York Naval Militia and the New York Guard to improve their ability to operate with the US Coast Guard, and state and local law enforcement agencies, according to Naval Militia Capt. Don McKnight who heads the Naval Militia’s Military Emergency Boat Service.
“This collective effort is a testament of Interoperability and proof of capability that in the absence of infrastructure, collectively we can still establish and maintain command, control and communications throughout New York state,” said Warrant Officer Richard Martino Jr., the signal officer for the New York Guard.
The New York Naval Militia conducted drone operations during the training.
The Unmanned Aerial Systems—the formal military name for drones—were launched from land during a reconnaissance mission to follow a “drug smuggler” who came to the Niagara River by means of Lake Ontario on a jet ski.
He was pursued by a Border Patrol boat until he jumped out on shore, where the drone took over the chase.
“Along the international border, there’s always smuggling occurring. It’s people, it’s narcotics, it’s weapons, these things happen” said Brady Waikel, the patrol agent in charge for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Luckily for us in Niagara County, it is not an everyday occurrence; it’s not something that’s happening constantly, but the threat is always there,” Waikel added.
“We have to remain vigilant, we have to remain prepared to counter those when they happen,” he said.
The New York Naval Militia is a 3,200- member force of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard reservists who also volunteer to serve in the state force. The Naval Militia operates a fleet of 11 patrol boats in the Military Emergency Boat Service.
The New York Guard is a small totally volunteer state defense force whose members augment the New York National Guard during emergencies.
Both the New York Naval Militia and the New York Guard are components of the New York Military Forces alongside the New York Army and Air National Guard.
“This exercise allowed the Naval Militia UAS Unit to operate directly with partner agencies to ensure coverage of the area of operations as well as learn about their tactics, techniques, and procedures,” said Maj. Michael Golden, the office in charge of the Naval Militia drone unit.
The New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, New York State Park Police, New York State Underwater Recovery Team, Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal, and Niagara County Sheriff’s Department also took part in the training.
This year a delegation from the Swedish navy and marines observed the exercise.
“My biggest takeaway from this experience is how easily you work together with other agencies. It seems to me as it's seamless when you need one another to conduct an operation, you support each other,” said Swedish First Sgt. Martin Lund, the planning officer for Sweden’s 17th Amphibious Regiment.
The New York National Guard has a State Partnership Program training and exchange relationship with the Swedish military.
"Exercise Empire Challenge demonstrated the benefit of New York being the only state in the nation with the ability to activate United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard reservists to state active duty in support of the New York National Guard,” said Rear Admiral Michael Perry, the commander of the New York Naval Militia.
“The federal naval services fund nearly all of the reservist's training and New York gets to employ them on a not to interfere basis with their federal training and duties, which provides great benefit at little cost to New York," Perry added.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2025 12:57 |
| Story ID: | 500452 |
| Location: | NIAGARA, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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