An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Aug. 26, 2019

Ohio’s State Partners gain knowledge in disaster management

By Senior Airman Amber Mullen Ohio National Guard

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Two Hungarian Defence Forces members and four members of the Serbian Ministry of Interior visited Ohio Aug. 5-8, to observe the statewide Vigilant Guard 19-4 joint disaster response and emergency preparedness training exercise.

The Ohio National Guard hosted the guests as part of a scheduled engagement through the long-standing partnership with Hungary and Serbia through the Department of Defense State Partnership Program, managed by the National Guard Bureau.

About 30 engagements a year are conducted with each country through the partnership, aimed at learning from each other and enhancing interoperability.

For Vigilant Guard 19-4, the Ohio National Guard along with the Ohio Emergency Management Agency partnered with local, state and federal agencies to engage in a realistic civil and defense support training exercise across the state to push disaster response processes and procedures to the limit. The participants confronted different scenarios that tested their ability to initially respond and conduct subsequent emergency management procedures.

“Vigilant Guard is an interagency cooperation exercise where we work with our state emergency management agency, our federal authorities, active-duty troops, private sector partners and other Guard members from six different states,” said Brig. Gen. Steven E. Stivers, the dual status commander of the Vigilant Guard 19-4 Joint Task Force. “The exercise gets us ready to provide aid to civil authorities in the event of a disaster situation in Ohio.”

By including Ohio’s Hungarian partners, Ohio was able to strengthen its military relationship with Hungary through exchanging best practices and giving them insight on how to improve their own processes for disaster response.

“It’s a great experience and I think a big step forward on the path of our partnership,” said Brig. Gen. Laszlo Garas, the director of joint operations for the Hungarian Defence Forces. “There is room for improvement for the Hungarian way of business in this area. I saw lots of good examples and I’m very hopeful that I will be able to implement in my country what I saw here in the United States.”

Ohio was also able to strengthen its civilian partnerships as well by engaging with members from the Serbian Ministry of Interior.

“This was a big and important experience because we saw a lot of new things, new methods and new technologies,” said Miloš Milenković, chief officer for international cooperation. “It is a good opportunity to take all of that back to our jobs and job positions in our country.”

Being able to engage with partner nations allows every nation involved to learn from one another and continue fostering long-term relationships.

“It’s great to work with our Serbian and Hungarian partners to help them build their capacities and have them see and learn from what we do right and sometimes what we do wrong,” Stivers said.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Shane Mills, readiness non-commissioned officer for the 246th Transportation Battalion, Michigan National Guard, discusses U.S. Army fleet management documentation processes with vehicle drivers from the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), April 17, 2025, at the RSLAF Joint Logistics Unit in the Murray Town district of Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Michigan-Sierra Leone Partnership Moves Ahead with Multidisciplinary Engagements
By Capt. Andrew Layton, | May 2, 2025
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – The partnership between the Michigan National Guard and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) took another step forward April 11-18 with three separate engagements conducted at various...

A U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle from the 159th Fighter Wing flies alongside a B-52H Stratofortress  during air-to-air integration training, April 29, 2025. The training enhanced interoperability between active-duty and Air National Guard aircrews, reinforcing their ability to operate as a cohesive force in complex airspace. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. Matthew Dougherty)
Louisiana Guard, Active Component Airmen Complete Air-to-Air Integration Training
By Senior Airman Seth Watson, | May 2, 2025
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. - The 2nd Bomb Wing, assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command under Eighth Air Force, and the Louisiana National Guard's 159th Fighter Wing demonstrated enhanced interoperability and...

Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, chief, National Guard Bureau, visits the 49th Missile Defense Battalion, Alaska National Guard, on Fort Greely, Alaska, April 28, 2025. Soldiers of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion operate and secure the ground-based midcourse defense system and are an integral piece of the homeland defense mission to protect the U.S. from intercontinental ballistic missiles using ground-based interceptors.
In Alaska, Nordhaus Sees National Guardsmen Defending the Homeland, Enabling Global Power Projection
By Master Sgt. Zach Sheely | May 1, 2025
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska – From within Alaska’s vast Interior, Alaska National Guardsmen defend the homeland from long-range missile attacks and enable global power projection.Air Force Gen. Steve Nordhaus, the chief of...