SLUNJ, Croatia – Minnesota and Croatia celebrated the 30th anniversary of their partnership through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, or SPP, during Exercise Combat Power 26, near Slunj, Croatia, June 29.
“This partnership is best measured not only in years, exercises or official milestones, but in people,” said Nicole McGraw, U.S. ambassador to Croatia. “It is measured in Croatian and American soldiers who have trained together, learned from one another and form a kind of trust that only comes from serving side by side.”
The SPP joins a U.S. state with a NATO-allied nation to strengthen military capabilities, enhance interoperability and foster long-term institutional relationships. The celebration came just days before the 250th anniversary of American independence and 35th anniversary of Croatian independence.
Throughout the partnership, members of the Minnesota National Guard and Croatian Armed Forces served together in Afghanistan, trained alongside one another in Minnesota and Croatia and exchanged expertise in areas including cyber defense, medical capabilities, explosive ordnance disposal, water purification and military modernization.
Thirty years later, Combat Power 26 provided another opportunity for the two forces to train together.
“This exercise is more than a training event,” said Croatian Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Tihomir Kundid, the chief of the general staff of the Armed Forces of Croatia, during the ceremony’s opening remarks. “It is a good opportunity to exchange knowledge, share experiences and build professional relationships. Armed Forces readiness has never been more important than today.”
After the ceremony, the smell of grilled steaks filled the air at Eugen Kvaternik Military Training Area as Minnesota volunteers served dinner to U.S., Croatian and allied service members participating in Exercise Combat Power 26.
“This gave me the chance to support and recognize this long-standing partnership between the Croatian Armed Forces and the Minnesota National Guard,” retired Command Sgt. Maj. Doug Wortham said. “It was an awesome opportunity to share this taste of home with the service members and see NATO allies break bread together after a long day supporting Combat Power 26.”
Serving Our Troops, a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization, traveled to Croatia to prepare and serve 1,000 steaks as service members and leaders commemorated the 30th anniversary of the partnership between the Minnesota National Guard and the Croatian Armed Forces.
“A good meal may seem simple, but for those who serve, and for those families who support them, it can mean a great deal,” McGraw said. “Tonight’s dinner is a reminder that service is not only honored in ceremonies. It is honored in acts of gratitude, in communities that remember and in citizens that take the time to say thank you.”
For many of the Minnesota National Guard Soldiers participating in the exercise, it marked their first time training in Croatia. For others, it continued the relationships built over years of exchanges and shared missions.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard, said the trust built during exercises like Combat Power 26 can develop into relationships that last well after the training ends.
“Over the last 30 years, we have built true friendship and trust,” Manke said. “The trust that you built during this exercise is a seed that will flourish and bloom years down the road.”
The ceremony recognized 30 years of cooperation between Minnesota and Croatia, while the meal marked the new relationships built on training and trust.