Stewart Airfield opened in 1934 at the direction of Douglas MacArthur as a training facility for the nearby United States Military Academy (West Point).

The base is named in honor of a 19th-century Scottish-born sea captain, Lachlan Stewart, and his son, who donated the land it now occupies.

The air national guard base encompasses 267 acres (107 ha) and contains 36 buildings, amounting to approximately 757,000 square feet (68,130 m2).

The former supports the U.S. Military Academy, the 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment (1-1 INF BN) and the UH-72 Lakota-equipped 2nd Aviation Detachment (2ND AVN DET),[3] while the latter supports the consolidation of several smaller and obsolescent United States Army Reserve Centers and New York Army National Guard Armories throughout the Hudson River Valley, colocating their associated units at a single site with modern training facilities.

In March 2011, Air Force officials announced that the 105 AW had been chosen as the final basing decision for eight C-17 Globemaster III mobility aircraft.

[7] New York Air National Guard United States Marine Corps United States Military Academy In August 2005 the 105th Airlift Wing supported U.S. Air Force missions including the delivery of emergency supplies and personnel following Hurricane Katrina.

[8] Stewart was the debarkation point for the Air Force's airlift of critically needed utility vehicles and linemen for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts in the Northeast.