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. 18, 2016

Texas National Guard hosts Chilean undersecretary

By Sgt. Elizabeth Pena Texas Military Department

AUSTIN, Texas - Key leaders from the Texas Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and State Guard met with Paulina Vodanovic, Chilean undersecretary of the Armed Forces, and other leaders during a key leader engagement at Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas, August 8, 2016.

Vodanavic is third in the Ministry of Defense. This was the first visit to Texas and only her second visit to the U.S.

“Our focus was operational,” Rodriguez said. “Her experience and background is administrative and legal so we wanted her to understand the relationship the Chilean forces and the ministry of defense have with Texas at the operational level.”

The Texas National Guard has partnered with Chile since 2009 through the State Partnership Program. The program is managed by the National Guard Bureau, and is designed to link a state’s National Guard with a partner nation’s military forces and government agencies in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship.

“They basically select states and marry them up with nations that have similar capabilities or interest in what they are trying to accomplish,” said Texas Army National Guard Capt. Edgar Guerrero, State Partnership Program Coordinator for Chile.

For Texas and Chile, it creates opportunities for high-level exchanges and cooperation in civic-military activities, Armed Forces initiatives, national territory protection, military support to civilian authority, disaster response in case of emergencies, and handling of a humanitarian catastrophe.

One example of the collaboration efforts is Operation Lone Star, a medical preparedness exercise supported by local, state and federal officials, provided Texas and Chile the opportunity to partner in a real-world exercise that delivers medical care to underprivileged citizens.

“The Chileans come to see how we provide care to disconnected or disadvantaged personnel,” Guerrero said. “They have Easter Island in which they have an indigenous population on an island that’s completely disconnected from the mainland that they go annually to provide care that we’re involved with as well.”

Last year, Texas National Guard and Chile completed approximately 14 military exchanges that included engineering, medical, and disaster response as well as best warrior competitions.

Through these exchanges, Soldiers at ground level, all the way up to general officers gain knowledge and experience from one another.

“In addition, with her being the policy driver in her country for the military,” Rodriguez said, “she is very particular, and interested at that level because she wants to make sure the policies that are developed at the institutional and higher level are exactly what the services need.”

The U.S. has been successfully building relationships for over 20 years that includes 70 unique security partnerships involving 76 nations around the globe.

“Our State Partnership Program is very advanced,” Rodriguez said. The engagement level that the Texas Army National Guard has with Chile is not only at the general officer level but we are operating at the Ministry of Defense level. That’s truly where the impact is made, the decisions are made, and that’s where policy and laws are changed. We are making a significant difference through our SPP relationship not only for Texas but also for the U.S. and Chile.”

 

 

Related Articles
Bienvenue Dedegnon Milohin, Mono prefet, provides welcoming remarks to start the Lignite Coast Tabletop Exercise, Grand Popo, Benin, May 12, 2025. The North Dakota National Guard and Benin are state partners in the State Partnership Program and have continuously conducted knowledge exchanges like this emergency management exercise for more than 10 years.
North Dakota Guard Participates in Lignite Coast Tabletop Exercise
By Nathan Rivard, | June 2, 2025
GRAND-POPO, Benin – A five-person team from North Dakota, including three members of the North Dakota National Guard and two planning specialists from the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, completed a five-day...

Airmen from the 139th Security Forces Squadron, Missouri Air National Guard, conduct air base defense operations at Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range near Salina, Kansas, on May 18, 2025. More than 160 Airmen from five ANG units participated in Exercise Tinman 25, a large-scale readiness exercise designed to sharpen air base defense skills through realistic, 24-hour operations.
Air National Guard Defenders Tested in Exercise Tinman 25
By Michael Crane, | June 2, 2025
SMOKY HILL AIR NATIONAL GUARD RANGE, Kansas - A squad of security forces defenders moved carefully through the rugged terrain, scanning their surroundings as they advanced on a suspected threat. Embedded with them were two...

An HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter from Golf Co., 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion conducts a training mission May 31, 2023. The Black Hawk departed Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to complete aircrew qualification tasks medevac and hoist operations as well as basic flight maneuvers near Colony Glacier.
Alaska National Guardsmen Save Nine During Start of Rescue Season
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | June 2, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska– Alaska Air and Army National Guard units responded to five requests for assistance May 24-28, primarily in support of the Alaska State Troopers and local hospitals.The Alaska Army...