NEW YORK - The New York National Guard and the Swedish military entered into a joint training agreement July 12 as part of the National Guard’s State Partnership Program during a ceremony in New York City’s Freedom Tower.
Maj. Gen. Raymond Shields, the adjutant general of New York, and Marcos Soler, New York State’s deputy secretary for public safety, signed a document formalizing the agreement with Sweden Minister for Defence Pal Jonson and Maj. Gen. Johan Pekkari, chief of the Swedish Defence Staff’s Strategy Unit.
“We are ushering in a new partnership for the Empire State, welcoming the Kingdom of Sweden to the New York National Guard’s State Partnership Program,“ Gov. Kathy Hochul said. “Our shared values, focus and commitment to the partnership will build relationships and improve capabilities for both our military forces. I look forward to the opportunities ahead.”
The New York National Guard and Sweden will conduct joint training missions and military exchanges to improve readiness within their respective forces.
The partnership is the latest in the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau program that pairs state National Guards with the militaries of foreign countries, including some NATO allies.
“On March 7, 2024, Sweden became the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – NATO,” Shields said. “Allies, friends and partners are stronger together than they are individually — especially against those who want to destroy freedom and independence.”
Jonson said the partnership “will not only enhance operational abilities, it will also strengthen the bonds of friendship and a new understanding between our forces and our countries.
“This is a big moment for us, and we are honored to be here,“ Jonson said. “This partnership will be driven by the mutual need of capability developments.”
For more than 30 years, National Guardsmen have built enduring connections with foreign counterparts through the State Partnership Program, said Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau. The program is one of the most productive, cost-effective security cooperation programs the United States offers.
“We are hoping that being a part of the State Partnership Program, that it will open doors to new venues that will benefit both of our militaries and civil defence authorities,“ said Pekkari.
The program began after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Guard was chosen to help former Soviet states reform their militaries and move toward civilian control of their armed forces as newly emerging democracies.
In 1993, the National Guard State Partnership Program started with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as they emerged from the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Since then, the program has grown to 92 partnerships across 106 nations and every continent.
In recent years, Guardsmen have conducted about 1,000 training exchanges with their foreign counterparts annually, focusing on everything from peacekeeping operations to leadership development, lifesaving techniques and cyber defense.
New York has also partnered with the South African National Defense Force since 2003 and the Brazilian Ministry of Defense since 2019.
The New York National Guard and Israeli Defense Forces also initiated a formal relationship in 2019 with a bilateral security cooperation agreement. New York signed a statement of intent with Denmark in late 2023 to establish joint training and exchanges in Greenland with their Joint Arctic Command.