New York National Guard Team Assigned to Assist Afghan Government Officials and Police Back in United States.

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Members of the New York Stability Transition Team pose for a photo as they prepare to leave for Afghanistan on Feb. 29.

LATHAM, NY (12/03/2012)(readMedia)-- Twenty-six members of the New York Army National Guard's Stability Transition Team (STT) have arrived back in the United States today, after serving in Afghanistan since March.

The Soldiers will out process at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and are expected to return to New York next week.

A total of 45 New York Army National Guard officers and senior non-commissioned officers were mobilized in January for deployment to Afghanistan. Their mission was to work with Afghan local governments, officials, and police forces to pave the way for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops in 2014 by support local institutions.

Nineteen members of the team returned from their deployment in October as their particular missions were phased out.

After training at Camp Shelby following their mobilization Jan. 15, the STT members left the U.S. for Afghanistan on Feb. 29.

The members of the unit were selected based on their military and civilian skills and experience and come from New York Army National Guard units in the Capital Region and New York City, as well as Western New York. More than half of the Stability Transition Team members have previously deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

The Soldiers, who come from the Capital Region, the New York City area, and other parts of the state, will return to the airports closest to their homes as they complete the demobilization process.