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National Guard State Partnership Program

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The National Guard's State Partnership Program (SPP) continues as one of EUCOM’s most effective security cooperation programs. By linking U.S. states with designated partner countries, it promotes access, enhances military capabilities, improves interoperability and enhances the principles of responsible governance. EUCOM’s SPP supports the commandant commander’s priorities and objectives to build enduring military-to-military (M2M) relationships. These sustained relationships enhance long-term international security while building partnership capacity.

EUCOM’s current-day SPP began in 1993 and evolved from the Joint Contact Team Program that was initially launched in Europe as a political and military outreach initiative for new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. SPP became a U.S. Department of Defense “program of record” in 2008 under the auspices of the National Guard Bureau.

This mission, accomplished through a bilateral relationship between a country and the National Guard of a state or territory, provides EUCOM with an integrated security cooperation tool. The mission spans military, political, economic and social realms; is characterized by personal and enduring relationships; features scalable cooperative activities via local, state and national conduits; and opens doors to the full depth and breadth of U.S. defense and interagency capabilities. All SPP activities must support the Theater Campaign Plan as well as individual U.S. ambassador mission plans in the countries where they operate.

SPP addresses critical areas, such as:

  • emergency management and disaster response
  • border and port security
  • leadership and NCO development
  • medical capacities
  • economic security
  • natural resource protection
  • peacekeeping operations
  • counter trafficking
  • counter proliferation
  • counter terrorism

Twenty-one states’ National Guard partner with 22 countries in EUCOM’s theater: 

Alabama / Romania

Indiana / Slovakia

Maryland / Bosnia

Ohio / Hungary

California / Ukraine

Iowa / Kosovo

Michigan / Latvia

Ohio / Serbia

Colorado / Slovenia

Kansas / Armenia

Minnesota / Croatia

Oklahoma / Azerbaijan

Georgia / Georgia

Maine / Montenegro

New Jersey / Albania

Pennsylvania / Lithuania

Illinois / Poland

Maryland / Estonia

North Carolina / Moldova

Tennessee / Bulgaria 
  Texas & Nebraska / Czech Republic Vermont / Macedonia  

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  • November 22, 2011

    School donation continues long-standing relationship with Poland

    Just last week, I visited the Krakow School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, which was heavily damaged in the spring floods of 2010, to deliver furniture and pianos donated by the U.S. Government.
  • July 28, 2011

    Airman’s perspective of SAFE SKIES 2011

    A massive yellow bus delivered us to the place we would call home for the next 17 days. ‘Resort’ was used to describe the hotel, but it more closely resembled a modest college dorm: two twin beds and a small refrigerator in the corner. Later the outlet that powered the refrigerator would be capitalized to run a small oscillating fan to generate a modest breeze of relief as Mirgorod reached 97 degrees.
  • May 26, 2011

    Proof in Meaningful Projects in Romania

    Normally, I spend most of my time behind a desk fighting the administrative battles while my director handles the travel.  Recently, I had the opportunity and the distinct honor to cut ribbons at three EUCOM Humanitarian Assistance (HA) projects in the Tulcea (Danube Delta) region of Romania.  We held opening ceremonies for a renovated kindergarten, clinic, and a special needs orphanage; all unique projects, but the appreciation of the recipients and dedication of the directors, local government officials, and the people were the same.
  • March 15, 2011

    Exploring Wounded Warrior issues in partner nations

    Wounded Warrior, Veteran care, traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. All are powerful terms capable of eliciting intense emotions from military service members and civilians alike. For the Baltic nations of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia supporting International Security Assistance Force - Afghanistan it is a term they are becoming more familiar with.
  • October 5, 2010

    A Fighting Force & So Much More

    The military is occasionally called upon to provide life saving assistance in times of disaster. I’ve blogged over the past few years about our involvement in fires, floods and earthquakes. These disasters, and the military’s role in them, receive much attention. But the military is also routinely involved in capacity building projects which often do not get the same level of coverage.
  • November 23, 2009

    Donation to the Chambarak School in Armenia

    Riding down the bumpy dirt road with a semi–truck trailing behind, a smile appears on my face. We approach several cows standing in the middle of the road that are in no hurry, of course. I honk the horn twice and they finally begin to amble on their way, except for one. He slowly raises his head, looks directly at me, and I swear I hear him say, “What’s your hurry?” I get the hint, sit back and relax as he wags his tail and slowly moseys along.
  • September 17, 2009

    Building partner capacity through medical engagement

    In response to changes in the 2006 Quadrenial Defense Review and the U.S. European Command’s new Strategy for Active Security, engagement has moved to Building Partner Capacity. Medical engagement is an excellent venue to execute this mandate.
  • August 27, 2009

    European Partnership Task Force

    The EPTF is designed from top to bottom, left to right to embody the concept of Partnership.  That's why we selected the image to the right and the motto, Give Way Together for the conference.  We're all in this together and need to work as a team to make progress.  And that we did during the conference.  I know this spirit will carry forward as we start to implement the EPTF.
  • August 6, 2009

    The State Partnership Program, Relationships, and Building Partner Capability

    Increasingly, these relationships are also forged in the fires of combat.  Many of the states in the EUCOM SPP have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq with their partner nations.  In some cases, the partner nation requested their co-deployment based on the strength of their relationship.  Poland and Illinois comes to mind, as does Georgia and Georgia.  In other cases, the state provides critical capabilities to enable the partner deployment.  Great examples are the co-deployment Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (OMLT).  Michigan-Latvia, Tennessee-Bulgaria, Hungary-Ohio, and Minnesota-Croatia are good examples and the list is growing.
  • June 23, 2009

    SPP wraps up with focus on Bilateral Affairs Officers

    I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the success of our 2009 State Partnership Program Conference. I heard nothing but great feedback about the conference from General McKinley and the Adjutants General who attended. While we have lots of work to do on the conference deliverables, I tip my hat to everyone who made the conference a success. It truly exceeded expectations.

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  • September 20, 2012

    Kansas NG partners with Armenia for demining

    YEREVAN, Armenia - (Sept. 20, 2012) Sgt. 1st Class Travis Eichhorn, a Pittsburg, Kansas native, gives an update on today's training with humanitarian demining soldiers in Armenia. Kansas National Guardsmen and the HDTC representative are instructing Armenian peacekeepers and engineer battalions on international demining standards as part of the Humanitarian Mine Action program and will assist the Armenian government in developing a national standard operating procedure for demining.
  • September 19, 2012

    Kansas NG partners with Armenia for demining

    YEREVAN, Armenia - (Sept. 19, 2012) Kansas National Guard Capt. Michael Liotta takes viewers to some on site demining classes with the Armenian engineering and demining battalions. Kansas and Armenia have a long partnership stretching back to Senator Bob Dole being nursed backed to health in World War II by an Armenian doctor and calling for the U.S. to be the first to recognize Armenia’s independence.
  • July 10, 2012

    EUCOM Commander talks SPP

    Admiral James Stavridis, Commander United States European Command (EUCOM) and Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR) talks about the State Partnership Program.
  • March 5, 2010

    Latvian Army and US National Guard train in Germany

    One of the ways the U.S. military is building the Afghan Army is through Observer Mentor Liaison Teams, or OMLETS. At the Joint Multinational Training Center in Hohenfels, Germany, the Latvian Army and the Michigan National Guard are training together and building bonds.
  • September 15, 2009

    RPG Training to Guardsmen

    Bulgarian troops provide RPG training to Tennessee Guardsmen as part of Joint Task Force-East.
  • September 10, 2009

    U.S., Bulgarian troops conduct urnban training

    Troops in Bulgaria and Tennessee Army National Guardsmen conduct training.