It provides highly skilled Airmen and operationally ready equipment necessary to meet United States inter-theater airlift and expeditionary combat support commitments.

Multiple groups, squadrons, and flights execute the unit's mission by providing administrative and logistical support, including airlift operations, combat control, pararescue, maintenance, supply, transportation, contracting, communications, civil engineering, personnel, base services, security forces, and medical functions.

The group was assigned to the NY ANG 107th Air Defense Wing and stationed at Westchester County Airport, White Plains, New York.

The new assignment involved a change in the group's training mission to include high-altitude interception, air-to-ground rocketry, ground strafing and tactical bombing.

As part of the draw-down of forces in Southeast Asia, aircraft from the Vietnam War were added to make up the allocated number to the Group.

The 105th made national news through their program of assisting local governmental health agencies in the detection of violations of water and stream pollution laws.

In March 1989, the 105th responded with less than 24 hours notice to an AMC request to airlift an over 80,000-pound submersible vehicle from Andrews AFB, Maryland and Homestead AFB, Florida, to Kadena AB, Japan to assist in search and recovery operations for an Air Force Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King helicopter which crashed in the East China Sea.

Beginning in October 1989, the unit airlifted over 2,000,000 pounds of relief supplies to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands following Hurricane Hugo.

In February 1992, the unit participated in Operation Provide Hope, the airlift of humanitarian aid to the Commonwealth of Independent States (former Soviet Union), delivering 384,000 pounds of relief materials to Saint Petersburg, Russia, and Yerevan, Armenia.

On 7 August 1990, Governor Mario Cuomo announced that the Department of Defense had requested, and he had approved, the participation of the personnel and C-5A aircraft of the 105th in active and direct support of Operation Desert Shield in the Persian Gulf region.

On 24 August, the 137th Military Airlift Squadron was called to active duty by President George H. W. Bush to provide continued support for the operation.

All medical personnel were released from active duty during May 1991 In March 1992, with the end of the Cold War, the 105th adopted the Air Force Objective Organization plan, and the unit was re-designated as the 105th Airlift Group.

In September 1992, the unit responded to Hurricane Andrew, delivering 1,289,953 pounds of food, tents, mobile kitchens, vehicles, and emergency services personnel to the Homestead area of South Florida.

In October 1993, the 105th returned to Somalia, delivering military personnel and almost 860,000 pounds of equipment non-stop—with triple air refueling—directly from bases in the United States to Mogadishu.

In late September 1994, the unit began airlifting over a million pounds of supplies and equipment to Haiti as part of Operation Uphold Democracy.

The 105th played a key role in July 1995 for Operation Quick Lift when it airlifted 431,000 pounds of cargo and 190 British troops from RAF Brize Norton, UK to Split Croatia in support of the United Nations' Rapid Reaction Deployment Force.

In August 1995, the 105th played a role in airlifting personnel and equipment to Kuwait in support of Operation Vigilant Warrior II and Exercise Intrinsic Action.

Immediately following Hurricane Marilyn in September 1995, the unit airlifted 527,200 pounds of supplies and equipment to the citizens of the American Virgin Islands.

The 105th returned to the African Great Lakes country of Rwanda in March 1996 to deliver 120,000 pounds of supplies and equipment in support of the Rwandan War Crimes Tribunal and the World Food Program.