ROME, N.Y. – Col. Joseph Miller assumed command of the 224th Air Defense Group on April 23rd during a ceremony at the Eastern Air Defense Sector.
Maj. Gen. Gary Charlton, the New York Air National Guard commander, was the ceremony’s presiding officer.
“My philosophy as your commander is centered on one fundamental principle, I work for you,” said Miller. “We must maximize the importance of working for our people, because you are the true strength of this mission.”
Miller enlisted in the Air Force in February 1996. During his time in the enlisted corps, he served as a travel technician in the 305th Comptroller Squadron at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey; a financial management journeyman in the 174th Fighter Wing at Hancock Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York; a military pay journeyman at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; and an enlisted accession recruiter in the 313th Recruiting Squadron in Syracuse, recruiting in the Potsdam, New York, area.
In 2004, Miller joined the Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) as an aerospace warning and control systems journeyman. In 2007, he was selected to be commissioned as an Air Force officer through the Academy of Military Science at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee.
After commissioning, Miller completed the Undergraduate Air Battle Manager Course at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and was reassigned to EADS.
Since returning to EADS in 2008, Miller has held nearly every leadership position in the 224th Air Defense Squadron. He has served as the chief of weapons and tactics, a senior director in the weapons section, and the assistant chief in exercise and analysis and standards and evaluation. He also served as the assistant flight commander for two different flights and the 224th operations director.
Prior to taking command of the ADG, Miller was the 224th ADS Commander from July 2024 to April 2026.
The Eastern Air Defense Sector, headquartered in Rome, New York, is part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and is responsible for the air defense of the homeland. The 224thAir Defense Group, an independent, wing-equivalent group of the New York Air National Guard, is located at EADS and provides the forces to conduct the air defense mission.
The 224thADG has several squadrons and detachments. The 224thAir Defense Squadron, the 224thSupport Squadron, the 224thSecurity Forces Squadron and a Canadian Element NORAD detachment serve in Rome. Two geographically separated units, the 223rdAir Defense Squadron and the National Capital Region Coordination Center detachment, serve in the Washington, D.C. area.
For more information about the New York Air National Guard, visithttp://www.dmna.ny.gov/. For more information on the Eastern Air Defense Sector and the 224thAir Defense Group, visithttp://www.eads.ang.af.mil/.