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Pennsylvania Guard Soldiers Participate in Lithuania Exercise
November 15, 2024
U.S. Army Spc. Ray Ortiz, an infantryman assigned to 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, defends his post during exercise Strong Griffin at Pabrade Training Area, Lithuania, Oct. 27, 2024. Soldiers spent their two-week annual training period augmenting the 1st Cavalry Division forces participating in Strong Griffin — a Lithuanian-led NATO field exercise focused on training Lithuanian forces and enhancing interoperability with partner nation units.

North Carolina Guard Chaplains Train with Malawi Counterparts
November 13, 2024
Left to right, North Carolina National Guard State Chaplain Col. Jonathan Heitman, Col. Pastor Noah Tsoka, Malawi Defense Force chief of chaplains, and Col. Alwynmichael Albano, U.S. Southern European Task Force, Africa command chaplain, meet before chapel services at Kamuzu Barracks, Lilongwe, Malawi, Aug. 11, 2024. The military-to-military exchange marked an initial visit as both teams prepared to collaborate on establishing a chaplaincy school for the MDF.

US, Morocco Military Strengthen Partnerships in Marrakech
November 5, 2024
Four Utah Air National Guard KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft sit on the flight line at Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base during a unit training assembly  Dec. 3, 2016. The KC-135 Stratotanker provides the core aerial refueling capability for the U.S. Air Force.

Maryland National Guard Hosts International Visitor Leadership Program
November 4, 2024
Members of the U.S. State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program pose for a photo with Maryland Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, 31st adjutant general of the Maryland National Guard and an A-10 aircraft.

Guam Guard Holds Inaugural State Partnership Event in Palau
October 31, 2024
Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr., center, meets with Guam Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio and members of the Guam National Guard in Koror, Palau, Oct. 29, 2024. The Guam National Guard and Palau held their inaugural State Partnership Program event in Palau, sharing best practices in emergency management and planning, communications, disaster response, and more.

New York Army Guard Chaplains Attend South Africa Symposium
October 30, 2024
The South African National Defence Force Chaplain General, Brigadier Gen. E.T. Maswe, left, and South African Defence Minister A. M. Motshekga, pose with New York Army National Guard chaplains Col. Douglas Brock and Lt. Col. Timothy Miller during the South African military’s annual chaplains symposium outside Cape Town, South Africa, in October 2024. Brock and Miller represented the United States at the meeting of 200 South African military chaplains.

Virginia National Guard, Finnish Army Expand Relationship
October 25, 2024
Virginia National Guard leadership hosts Lt. Gen. Pasi Välimäki, commander of the Finnish Army, during a bilateral engagement, Oct 12, 2024, at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The visit supported the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.

Air Force Major Serves as Vietnam Bilateral Affairs Officer
October 24, 2024
Oregon Air National Guard Maj. Angie Hayes, the bilateral affairs officer, U.S. Embassy Hanoi, speaks with a member of the Vietnamese delegation following the opening ceremony for the 2024 Disaster Management Engagement Activity at Hue University of Education in Hue, Vietnam June, 10, 2024. The Oregon National Guard and Vietnam have been partners since 2012 through the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.

Maryland National Guard Trains Estonians During Exercise
October 10, 2024
Maryland Army National Guard Sgt. Conner McClaskey, an infantryman with the 1-175th Infantry Regiment, speaks with a member of the Estonian Defense League during training exercise USSISONAD24 Sept. 8, 2024, at Sirgala live-fire range in Sirgala, Estonia. The joint exercise was planned and executed through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, supporting U.S. European Command’s mission.

Ohio Guard Chaplains Build Relations with Serbian Counterparts
October 8, 2024
Chaplains from the Ohio National Guard pose with members of the Serbian Armed Forces Chaplaincy outside of the Bajrakli Mosque in Belgrade, Serbia, Sept. 13, 2024. The Ohio National Guard chaplains attended Serbian religious events that promoted learning from one another about how to take care of their service members.