CENTENNIAL, Colo. – The Swiss Confederation and Colorado National Guard have officially become state partners under the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program or SPP.
A signing ceremony with officials from Switzerland and Colorado occurred Sept. 15 at the Bellevue Palace in Bern, Switzerland.
“Our National Guard members play such an important role in protecting our state at home and supporting our partners abroad. I’m excited by this new partnership and our ability to support one another in strengthening key capabilities and security, as well as to build closer ties between Switzerland and Colorado,” said Gov. Jared Polis. “I’m grateful for former Ambassador Scott Miller’s work on bringing us closer together.”
“The Colorado National Guard is proud to partner with the Swiss Confederation,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Laura Clellan, the adjutant general of Colorado. “This new SPP partnership strategically aligns with Switzerland's defense priorities and advances key U.S. national security objectives in Europe.”
Switzerland and Colorado share not only geography and demographics but also cultural, economic, historical and technological bonds. The Swiss Armed Forces and the Colorado National Guard share expertise in air defense, critical infrastructure protection, cyber, emergency response including search and rescue, high-altitude rotary wing and mountain operations, space, and medical support.
Colorado has participated in the SPP since its inception in 1993. The SPP was initially developed to assist 13 countries emerging from behind the Iron Curtain. Colorado and the Republic of Slovenia formed a partnership at that time. Colorado also became the SPP partner for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 2004, marking the first SPP in the Levant Region of the Middle East. Through consistent engagement and mutual trust-building activities, Colorado is experienced in cultivating enduring partnerships that reach the highest echelons of its partner nations’ ministries of defense.
With the addition of Switzerland, the SPP now includes 115 nations and the National Guard of every U.S. state and territory. The SPP is a cost-effective and key U.S. security cooperation tool that facilitates collaboration across all aspects of civil-military affairs and bolsters capabilities, improves interoperability and enhances principles of responsible governance. The SPP gives partners access to defense capabilities on a scale that is more in line with that of military institutions in partner countries. These partnerships demonstrate a consistent and persistent form of commitment to nations to expand their own security ties.