INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana’s Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Courtney P. Carr, visited Slovakia for the first time as the leader of the Indiana National Guard earlier this month.
Carr’s visit coincided with exchanges between the Indiana National Guard and the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic during the month of September that set new precedents in scope and scale.
Approximately 200 Indiana Guardsmen and Slovak defense members participated in 10 military-to-military engagements with the largest being Slovak Shield, a multinational exercise, which included more than 4,000 participants.
The adjutant general also visited the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava, where he met with the economic section staff to discuss strategic communication, financial synchronization and initiatives for the way ahead for enhancing the partnership outside military operations.
“I'm excited to expand our relationship to explore opportunities to provide business development between our two countries” said Carr.
Indiana Army National Guard Maj. Kent Anderson joined the general on his trip. Anderson in his civilian capacity works with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation as the vice president of business development.
“My goal is to support the development and growth of our relationships. To see it beyond just military-to-military relations, but to include areas such as economic development,” said Anderson. He said the future relationship between the European country and Midwestern state is boundless and will help stabilize the Eastern European region and enrich the Hoosier State.
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Photo Captions:
150921-Z-LI123-011: Maj. Gen. Courtney P. Carr, Adjutant General of Indiana, and Maj. Kent Anderson take a tour of the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava, Slovakia guided by political economic director Mr. Trey Lyons. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss strategic communication, financial synchronization and initiatives for the way ahead for enhancing the partnership outside military operations. Sept. 21, 2015. (Photo by Capt. Catalina Carrasco, Indiana National Guard).
150922-Z-LI123-541: The Indiana National Guard delegation led by Maj. Gen. Courtney P. Carr met with members of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic led by Maj. Gen. Milan Maxim at the Ministry of Defense in Bratislava, Slovakia. The two military organizations have been partners for over 20 years as part of the state partnership program. Sept. 22, 2015 (Photo by Capt. Catalina Carrasco, Indiana National Guard).
150922-Z-LI123-549: The Adjutant General of Indiana, Maj. Gen. Courtney P. Carr was invited to sign the guest book at the Ministry of Defense by Maj. Gen. Milan Maxim, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic in Bratislava, Slovakia. Sept. 22, 2015. (Photo by Capt. Catalina Carrasco, Indiana National Guard).