Nicaraguan defense chief visits Wisconsin

By Tech. Sgt. Jon LaDue
Wisconsin National Guard

Gen. Moises Omar Halleslevens, head of the Nicaraguan military, and Brig. Gen. Jorge Alberto Miranda, chief of the Nicaraguan army air force, observe as Capt. Joseph Walter of the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 115th Fighter Wing details the cockpit of an F-16 fighter jet. Capt. Gilberto Ruiz, who served as an escort for the Nicaraguan officers, looks on. The Nicaraguan Chief of Defense staff visited Wisconsin May 22-24 as part of the ongoing State Partnership Program between Wisconsin and the republic of Nicaragua. The military exchange has been in place since 2003. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Jon LaDue, Wisconsin National Guard)
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MADISON, Wis., (7/28/09) - The chief of defense and other top military leaders from the republic of Nicaragua visited Wisconsin July 22-24 as part of the State Partnership Program.

Gen. Moises Omar Halleslevens, head of Nicaragua's military, along with his country's top air and army leaders, visited Wisconsin's Joint Force Headquarters, Truax Field, Fort McCoy, Volk Field, the 54th Civil Support Team and the state capital building.

"We are deeply honored to have you here with us," said Brig. Gen. Don Dunbar, the adjutant general of Wisconsin, to the Nicaraguan leaders upon their arrival. "We will try to squeeze every bit of Wisconsin into these two days that we can ... because we are proud of Wisconsin and we want to share that with you."

While touring the 115th Fighter Wing at Traux Field, the leaders were able to get up close with an F-16 fighter jet and an RC-26 multi-purpose propeller aircraft. They also toured a KC-135 inflight refueler from the 128th Air Refueling Wing. The Nicaraguan army has an air component, but it is not as expansive as the U.S. Air Force inventory.

The aircraft were a new experience for Halleslevens, who said he enjoyed the tour. A large portion of the Nicaraguan military's mission is to support the national police in the fight against narcotics trafficking. While touring the RC-26, the military leaders asked drug control program members about their mission and appeared keenly interested in the aircraft's advanced photographic turret capability.

Although the Nicaraguan military once numbered as many as 130,000 members in the 1980s, today its strength is a little more than 10,000 - roughly the size of the Wisconsin National Guard. Much like the United States, Nicaragua's forces are broken down into land, air and sea components.

Also like U.S. forces, the Nicaraguan military includes commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers. The NCO concept is somewhat new to them, and Wisconsin Army National Guard leaders have been providing guidance to their Nicaraguan counterparts.

"So many things are similar in leadership that it doesn't really matter how rich or poor you are - a leader is a leader," said Wisconsin Army National Guard Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper, who has visited Nicaragua three times.

He said the partnership between the two militaries has rewards for both services. "I think that we've made great strides in distilling in [them] the value of a NCO," Stopper said. "Having to interact with a different culture and seeing how other leaders do things makes us better leaders as well."

Halleslevens said that the partnership benefits all three components of the Nicaraguan military. "Nicaragua gains more from this exchange," he said through an interpreter.

The Wisconsin National Guard's partnership with the Republic of Nicaragua is entering its seventh year, but Wisconsin's relationship with the Central American nation dates back to 1964, when 18 sister-city relationships developed as a result of President Kennedy's "Alliance for Progress" initiative.

The Wisconsin National Guard also sent teams to Nicaragua in 1998 to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch, and for humanitarian missions in 2000 and 2002.

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