TIRANA, Albania – A New Jersey Air National Guard munitions expert shared best practices in explosives safety and storage with military representatives from six European nations during the European Partnership Flight Air Base Operations and Development Conference, June 13-17.
Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Foulk, the 177th Fighter Wing munitions flight senior enlisted leader, led discussions on explosives safety, proper munitions storage and storage-area management. Participants included representatives from Albania, which co-hosted the event, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
As air bases adapt to emerging technologies, including unmanned aircraft systems and automation, multinational collaboration provides participants with a broader range of experience to address increasingly complex operational challenges.
Airmen and Soldiers from the New Jersey National Guard contributed expertise developed through their military and civilian careers. They also brought an understanding of the Albanian Armed Forces built through more than 25 years of cooperation between New Jersey and Albania under the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, or SPP.
By pairing state National Guards with partner nations, the program develops long-term military relationships, operational alignment and cross-cultural trust. The State Partnership Program is administered by the National Guard Bureau on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of War and is executed by state National Guards in support of U.S. geographic combatant commands.
The program also allows the National Guard to extend cooperation beyond traditional military-to-military training. Through relationships with military, government and civilian organizations, participating states and nations can strengthen interagency coordination and advance shared defense and security objectives.
The conference highlighted the value of New Jersey’s longstanding relationship with Albania while also demonstrating Total Force integration between active-component and Air National Guard personnel.
Foulk worked alongside Airmen from the 435th Tactical Advisory Squadron and U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa’s, or USAFE-AFAFRICA’s, A5I International Affairs Division to provide a coordinated approach to the conference’s training objectives.
The European Partnership Flight is USAFE-AFAFRICA’s premier air-focused engagement series. It provides a forum for bilateral and multilateral discussion on key aspects of air base operations while allowing participants to exchange technical knowledge and address shared operational challenges.
Through these exchanges, U.S. forces and their European counterparts are strengthening the foundational capabilities needed to modernize air base operations, improve interoperability and sustain collective defense efforts across the region.
The engagement also reinforced the United States’ commitment to its Allies and partners. By building mutual trust and collective capacity, USAFE-AFAFRICA and the New Jersey Air National Guard are helping participating nations improve warfighting effectiveness and contribute to security throughout the European theater.
In-person, peer-to-peer engagements allow participants to return to their home units with knowledge they can use to improve procedures, promote interoperability and prepare their forces for future combined operations.