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Georgian Defense Force Joins Georgia Best Warrior Competition
March 14, 2024
Georgia Defense Force Junior Sergeant Paata Sabiashvili, front left, an infantryman representing the 1st Infantry Brigade; Georgia Defense Force Corporal-Specialist Irakli Nozadze, front right, a cannon crewmember representing the 5th Artillery Brigade; 1st Sgt. Sergo Kandelaki, back left, executive assistant to the Georgia Defense Force Command Sergeant Major, Georgia Defense Force General Staff; and Staff Sgt. Michael Tenoshcok, back right, Joint Operation Center noncommissioned officer, Joint Force Headquarters, Georgia National Guard; pose for a photo during the 2024 Georgia Army National Guard State Best Warrior Competition at the Catoosa Volunteer Training Site, Ringgold, Georgia, March 12, 2024.
Hokanson Announces new State Partnership Program Nations
March 7, 2024
Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, meets with members of the Swedish Armed Forces in Boden, Sweden, Oct. 17, 2023. Hokanson visited Sweden as part of a larger Northern European itinerary for talks with defense officials to deepen bilateral ties between the National Guard and Sweden.
South Carolina National Guard Hosts Colombia Defense Chief
March 7, 2024
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, the adjutant general for South Carolina, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Robin B. Stilwell, director of the Joint Staff of the South Carolina National Guard, and other National Guard leaders meet with Colombian military leaders in Columbia, South Carolina, Feb. 29, 2024. The event was part of a three-day State Partnership Program exchange.
West Virginia National Guard, Gabon Announce State Partnership
March 7, 2024
The West Virginia National Guard has been selected as the U.S. partner to the nation of Gabon in central Africa for the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, Gov. Jim Justice announced March 6. Gabon is the 19th African nation to join with a U.S. state via the SPP.
Michigan Guard, Liberia Partner on NCO Academy in West Africa
March 6, 2024
Instructors from the Michigan National Guard’s 177th Regional Training Institute teamed with instructors from the Armed Forces of Liberia Feb. 19 to March 3, 2024, to assess an instructor “dry-run” at Camp Ware, Liberia. The West African nation, partnered with the Michigan National Guard under the State Partnership Program since 2009, is standing up its own Noncommissioned Officer Academy.
Indiana National Guard Partner Slovakia Receives F-16s
March 4, 2024
Indiana National Guard Maj. Gen. Dale Lyles, Indiana adjutant general, and Brig. Gen. Slavomir Staviarsky, a Slovak Republic defense attaché, pose in front of F-16s at a ceremonial delivery event in Greenville, South Carolina, Feb. 29, 2024.
Minnesota Guard, Norway Train Together
February 29, 2024
Camp Ripley Training Center in Little Falls, Minnesota, hosted the 51st annual Norwegian Reciprocal Troop Exchange, a cultural and joint-training event between the Minnesota National Guard and the Norwegian Home Guard Rapid Reaction Force and the Home Defense Youth, Feb. 1-12.
US, African Partners Participate in Justified Accord Exercise
February 28, 2024
U.S. Army Soldiers with the 2nd Security Force Assistance Brigade and Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa conduct pre-deployment drills with the Armed Forces of Djibouti’s Bataillon d'Intervention Rapide at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Feb. 22, 2024. The drills were completed to prepare for exercise Justified Accord, led by U.S Army Southern European Task Force, Africa.
State Partnership Directors Share Tips on Adriatic Partnerships
February 28, 2024
U.S. Army and Air National Guard members of the State Partnership Program discuss plans to integrate efforts with Adriatic partner nations at the National Aerospace Research and Technology Park, Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, Jan. 24, 2024. By linking U.S. states with partner countries, the SPP enhances military capabilities and interoperability.
North Dakota National Guard Celebrates 20-year Ghana Partnership
February 23, 2024
From left, Command Sgt. Maj. Eric Binstock, North Dakota Army National Guard state command sergeant major; 2nd Lt. Denis Duku, 426th Signal Company; Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, adjutant general; Maj. Beth Simek, North Dakota bilateral affairs officer for Ghana; Lt. Col. Jarrod Simek, U.S. Special Operations Command Africa, and Lt. Col. Mark McEvers take a photo at the 20th-anniversary celebration of North Dakota and the Republic of Ghana's partnership in the State Partnership Program, Feb. 22, 2024, in Accra, Ghana. North Dakota and Ghana are one of 18 partnerships in Africa.
Mongolian Colonel Visits Arctic Security Center, Alaska Partners
February 22, 2024
Randy Kee, director of the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, speaks with Col. T. Galbadrakh, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Mongolian Armed Forces, during a visit to the center on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Feb. 14, 2024. Galbadrakh's visit, coordinated through the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, underscores the program's evolution into a vital instrument for bolstering U.S. security cooperation on the global stage.
South Carolina Guard Comes to Aid of Partner Colombia
February 14, 2024
The South Carolina National Guard helped its State Partnership Program partner, Colombia, respond to dozens of fires in the Bogota area in January 2024 by providing helicopter buckets used to drop water or retardant.
Virginia Airmen Conduct Engineer Exchange in Tajikistan
February 14, 2024
Virginia National Guard Airmen assigned to the Virginia Beach-based 203rd Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, 192nd Wing, conduct an engineer exchange with Republic of Tajikistan military and law enforcement personnel Jan. 22-26, 2024, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Kentucky Guard Hosts Ecuadorian Military for Leader Engagement
February 14, 2024
Army Maj. Gen. Haldane Lamberton speaks to the senior leaders from the Kentucky National Guard and the Armed Forces of Ecuador in Frankfort, Ky., Jan. 30, 2024. Over four days, the Ecuadorians visited multiple locations in Frankfort, participated in briefings with Kentucky Emergency Management, toured the capitol, and met Gov. Andy Beshear.
Nebraska Guardsman Honored for State Partnership in Rwanda
February 13, 2024
Nebraska Army National Guard Maj. Jessica Pan poses with her husband and three children after her promotion ceremony to the rank of major, Feb. 22, 2023, at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda. Pan was named as the U.S. Africa Command Bilateral Affairs Officer of the Year for 2023.
Army General Meets with National Guard Partner Benin
February 9, 2024
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Todd R. Wasmund, commanding general of U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), poses for a photo with Benin Chief of Army Staff, Brig. Gen. Abou Issa, in Cotonou, Benin, Jan. 22, 2024. Wasmund and Issa discussed defense cooperation and opportunities for additional partnerships between the U.S. Army and the Benin Armed Forces.
Serbian Military Visits Ohio Guard’s 121st Air Refueling Wing
February 9, 2024
Members of the Serbian Military Medical Academy tour a KC-135 Stratotanker during their visit to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio, Feb. 4, 2024. As part of the State Partnership Program, the Serbians also toured the 121st Medical Group, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, the Louis Stokes Cleveland Medical Center and Defense Supply Center Columbus.
Ecuadorian Military Leaders Visit Kentucky Air National Guard
February 2, 2024
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Elija Lamastus, center right, a medic assigned to the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Medical Group Detachment 1, demonstrates the use of a combat application tourniquet to Ecuadorian Navy Adm. Jaime Patricio Vela Erazo, chief of staff of the Ecuadorian military, at the Kentucky Air National Guard Base in Louisville, Ky., Jan. 31, 2024. Vela Erazo was one of several Ecuadorian military leaders who visited the Kentucky Air Guard to exchange information as part of the State Partnership Program.
Hokanson Explores National Guard Cooperation with Kingdom of Denmark
January 27, 2024
Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, left, stands for a photo with Gen. Flemming Lentfer, the Danish Chief of Defense, at the Ministry of Defense, Copenhagen, Denmark, Jan. 23, 2024.
Hokanson Sees Nascent Austria-Vermont National Guard Partnership Expanding
January 24, 2024
Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, speaks with Gen. Rudolf Striedinger, Austria’s chief of defense, and joint Austrian Armed Forces leaders at the Federal Ministry of Defence of Austria in Vienna Jan. 19, 2024. Austria and the Vermont National Guard are paired in the 100-nation Defense Department National Guard State Partnership Program.