State Area Command (STARC)

The New York Joint Force Headquarters History The Headquarters element for the New York Army National Guard was previously known as "STARC" or, more officially, "State Area Command". It shared its patch and "distinctive unit insignia" with the 53rd Troop Command, which is technically aligned as a separate "Major Command." The "Joint Force Headquarters" was established (provisionally) in October, 2003 in each of the 50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, two U.S. Territories and the District of Columbia. It reorganizes the previously separate Army National Guard and Air National Guard headquarters into a joint "Command and Control" activity that forges closer relationships between the National Guard Bureau, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Staff to improve Department of Defense access to National Guard capabilities. The New York Joint Force Headquarters is directly involved in coordinating support for various disasters and emergencies such as the recovery efforts following the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes. A Joint Operations Center is now operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in each state.