WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Around 2,600 New York National Guard members remain deployed in state prisons more than a year after wildcat correction officer strikes began. One state lawmaker says keeping the Guard in prisons costs the state about $50 million a month.
Guard deployed during 2025 strikes
When correction officers across the state went on strike in February 2025, the New York National Guard was deployed to state prisons to fill in.
“Nobody signed up for the National Guard to staff a prison,” said state Sen. Mark Walczyk, R-49th District.
According to the National Guard’s 2025 Annual Report, more than 8,000 military personnel were mobilized during the strike. At its peak, more than 7,300 troops were on duty.
Walczyk said using the National Guard this way is unsustainable.
“It was never the mission of New York’s National Guard to fill in and do a bunch of state jobs. The governor has used them that way,” Walczyk said.
Cost and continued deployment
Gray’s office says it is costing the state about $50 million a month to keep the Guard in prisons.
“It’s a very expensive model. This is not the way it’s designed to run so … and it still doesn’t answer the systemic problems that we have in the facilities,” said Gray, R-116th Assembly District.
Although the strikes were declared over in March 2025, 2,600 National Guard members have remained in prisons through a volunteer program. The union representing corrections officers says it’s still needed.
“More National Guard is really the only short-term solution. I agree we shouldn’t be relying on it as a long-term solution. We need to really focus on our recruitment efforts,” said Bryan Hluska, central region vice president for NYSCOPBA.
Gray points to recruitment issues
Gray argues correction officer recruitment is down due to a few things.
“You really have to fix HALT. You really have to fix the contraband issue, and you really have to fix the quality of life issues. Those are 3 systemic problems to this thing,” Gray said.
Officials say a training program was set up to better prepare guardsmen remaining in prisons.
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