Yesterday, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that Army National Guard Lt. Col. Andrew Pinckney is taking command of the New York National Guard's 2nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (CST). The 2nd CST is a joint Army and Air National Guard unit whose members are trained to identify chemical, biological or radiological agents employed in a terrorist attack or released in an accident.

Lt. Col. Pinckney is a Rensselaer resident and veteran of two combat deployments to Afghanistan. He will take command of the CST on Monday, June 9.

“The 2^nd Civil Support Team is a highly specialized National Guard unit that plays a central role in how we respond to both terrorist attacks and dangerous industrial accidents,” Governor Cuomo said. “I am proud that Lt. Col. Pinckney – a battle-tested officer with a long history in New York – is taking command of this important unit as he continues to protect the people of our state and nation.”

The 2nd CST, headquartered at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, is equipped with high-tech detection equipment and the members are trained to operate in a hazardous environment. The unit deploys teams on a regular basis in support of high-visibility events like the Super Bowl or the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly, and responded to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Pinckney, a full-time member of the Army National Guard, will take over from Lt. Col. Thomas Benton in a change of command ceremony on June 9. For information on the June 9 ceremony, members of the media may call the Division of Military and Naval Affairs Public Affairs Office at (518) 786-4581.

Pinckney entered the Army as an enlisted soldier in 1995 after graduating from SUNY Brockport with a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice in the same year. In 1998 he attended Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a Field Artillery Officer. He served in the 101st Air Assault Division, the 3rd Infantry Division and the 10th Mountain Division until he left active duty in 2004. He also served as a fire support officer in Kosovo in 2000 and 2001 with the 2rd Infantry Division and in Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division in 2003.

Pinckney joined the New York Army National Guard in 2004, serving as the commander of Company C 1st Battalion 101st Cavalry in Hoosick Falls. He went on to serve as the personnel officer of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Syracuse and the Executive Officer of the 2nd Squadron 101st Cavalry in Buffalo.

He deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 as a Security Force Advisory Team Commander.

His awards include the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the NATO Medal, the Afghan Campaign Medal, the Kosovo Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

He and his wife have three children.