New York Army National Guard in the context of "42nd Infantry Division (United States)"

The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutant General of New York Major General Raymond F. Shields Jr., appointed on October 1, 2018. with the Governor of New York Kathy Hochul serving as Commander in Chief of the state's militia forces. It is part of the New York State Executive Department.

All of the armories in New York State are run directly or indirectly by the Division of Military and Naval Affairs.The DMNA headquarters, located in Latham, New York near Albany, is within 8 miles of both the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory and the General Electric Research and Development facility in Niskayuna, New York.

The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force (SDF) of New York State, and is one of the four branches of the New York Military Forces (NYMF), the other three branches being the New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard and the New York Naval Militia. Originally called the New York State Militia, it can trace its lineage back to the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

The organization now has a unified command structure, while formerly it contained an Army Division and an Air Division. The missions of the New York Guard include augmentation, assistance, and support of the New York Army National Guard and New York Air National Guard respectively and aide to civil authorities in New York State. New York also has a New York Naval Militia which, with the State Guard and the Army and Air National Guards, is under the command of the Governor of New York, the Adjutant General of New York, and the Division of Military and Naval Affairs (DMNA).

The New York Naval Militia is the naval militia of the state of New York, and is under the authority of the Governor of New York as Commander-In-Chief of the state's military forces. With the New York Guard, the New York Army National Guard and New York Air National Guard, it is under the control of the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs and New York's Adjutant General. It is the oldest continuously operating Naval militia in the United States.

As of September 2022, the New York Naval Militia has about 2,800 members, more than 95 percent of whom are also members of the U.S. Navy Reserve, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, or U.S. Coast Guard Reserve.

The adjutant general of New York is the highest-ranking military official in the New York National Guard as the state adjutant general. The adjutant general is part of the state government's executive branch, and serves as head of the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, which includes the New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, the New York Guard, and the New York Naval Militia.

Adjutants general were originally selected by the state Council of Appointment. Since 1822 the adjutant general has been appointed by the Governor of New York. Adjutants general serve a four-year term and hold the rank of major general. In 1948, a newly-enacted law designated the senior National Guard leader in New York as Chief of Staff to the Governor. Legislation passed in 1988 changed the title back to adjutant general.