U.S. Military Delivers Php183 Million in New Weapons and Equipment to AFP

June 22, 2021

U.S. Military Delivers Php183 Million in New Weapons and Equipment to AFP

MANILA, Philippines — Officials from the Joint United States Military Assistance Group – Philippines (JUSMAG-P) delivered Php183 million ($3.8 million) worth of weapons and equipment to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Clark Air Base on June 21, 2021.

A 44-foot secure all-around flotation equipped (SAFE) boat, donated to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) by U.S. Northern Command, demonstrates its maneuvering capabilities and top speed of 36 knots just off the coast of New Providence near the RBDF Headquarters at Coral Harbour Base, June 22, 2021.

June 22, 2021

U.S. Helps Keep Bahamas Safe: Donates $5.9 Million in Boats, Comms Equipment to RBDF

NASSAU, Bahamas — On June 22, the United States government continued to demonstrate its commitment to shared security and safety of The Bahamas and the United States, donating three high-speed SAFE boats, radio communications equipment, and biometrics equipment to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF)—for a total value of about $5.9 million dollars.

Members of the West Virginia National Guard and the Qatar Emiri Land Forces at QELF headquarters in Doha, Qatar, June 21, 2021. West Virginia and Qatar formalized their partnership during the visit with Qatari Armed Forces as a part of the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program.

June 21, 2021

West Virginia, Qatar formalize military partnership

DOHA, Qatar — Brig. Gen. William Crane, the adjutant general of the West Virginia National Guard, and Staff Brigadier Khalid Al-Khayareen, director of the International Forces Affairs Directory for Qatar’s International Military Cooperation Authority, officially signed an expression of cooperation between West Virginia and the State of Qatar in Doha June 21.

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, talks with Brig. Gen. Mohamed El Ghoul, army chief of staff, Tunisian Land Forces, Carthage, Tunisia, June 16, 2021. Tunisia is paired with the Wyoming National Guard in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program.

June 19, 2021

Republic of Tunisia, Wyoming National Guard: More than a partnership

CARTHAGE, Tunisia — The National Guard's most senior general walked among the rows of headstones, pausing to reflect on the sacrifices made by some of the 2,833 service members buried here and the 3,724 missing who are memorialized.

Lt. Col. Brion Aderman, Wisconsin National Guard director of domestic operations, talks about disaster response practices with members of the Papua New Guinea Defense Force May 26, 2021, during a virtual, three-day State Partnership Program workshop with Papua New Guinea in Witmer Hall at Joint Force Headquarters in Madison, Wis. The State Partnership Program links individual states with armed forces of partner nations around the world to forge mutually beneficial relationships.

June 17, 2021

Wisconsin Guard, Papua New Guinea hold virtual workshop

MADISON, Wis. — Though 8,327 miles separate Madison, Wisconsin, and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, the Wisconsin National Guard and the Papua New Guinea Defense Force moved closer toward building an enduring partnership last month.

Army Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, adjutant general, Texas National Guard, signs a document formalizing the pairing of Egypt and the Texas National Guard in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, Cairo, Egypt, June 14, 2021. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Jim Greenhill)

June 16, 2021

Egypt joins Defense Department’s National Guard State Partnership Program

CAIRO, EGYPT — Army Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris, adjutant general, Texas National Guard, signs a document formalizing the pairing of Egypt and the Texas National Guard in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, Cairo, Egypt, June 14, 2021.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, right, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, and Command Sgt. Maj. William Russell III, senior enlisted advisor, Michigan National Guard, shake hands with the Latvian delegates at the end of the key leadership engagement between Latvian National Armed Forces (LNAF) and the Michigan National Guard (MING)

June 16, 2021

Michigan and Latvia strengthen partnership during key leader engagement

LANSING, Mich.-- — For 28 years the relationship between the Michigan National Guard (MING) and Latvian National Armed Forces (LNAF) has grown immensely. The State Partnership Program (SPP) was created to foster such relationships and is an official collaboration between the U.S. National Guard Bureau, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. State Department. The Michigan-Latvia partnership was one of the first three bilateral relationships – along with Pennsylvania/Lithuania and Maryland/Estonia – to be formalized on April 27, 1993.

an India Ministry of Defence general officer sits at a desk

June 14, 2021

India, U.S. fuel agreement operational

FORT BELVOIR, Va. — Strengthening military partnerships, DLA Energy established a long-term fuel agreement between the U.S. Defense Department and India Ministry of Defence. The agreement became operational June 1 and enables reciprocal fuel sales and purchases, increased Indian military participation with U.S. military exercises, and easier accounting and reporting of fuel transactions. 

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, with General Commander of the Branches of the Polish Armed Forces, Gen. Jaroslaw Mika, during Hokanson's visit to National Guard troops, Powidz, Poland, June 12, 2021

June 12, 2021

Almost 30 years on, Poland’s partnership with the National Guard thrives

POWIDZ, Poland — Deployed National Guard troops got a visit from their most senior general. Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief, National Guard Bureau, also met with General Commander of the Branches of the Polish Armed Forces, Gen. Jaroslaw Mika.

An aerial view of the Pentagon.

June 11, 2021

Border Barrier Money Returns, Ukraine Aid Package Announced

PENTAGON — The Biden administration's cancellation of border barriers returns $2.2 billion to the Defense Department, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.

June 10, 2021

DTRA’s Partners in North and West Africa Counter-Weapons of Mass Destruction

FORT BELVOIR, Va. — The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is supporting the Kingdom of Morocco and Senegal develop counter-weapons of mass destruction (CWMD) capabilities under the Counter-Weapons of Mass Destruction Security Cooperation Engagement Program (CSCEP) and partnering in U.S. Africa Command’s (USAFRICOM) Exercise AFRICAN LION 21, a full-scale exercise 7-18 June 2021.

Japan Engineer District wrapped up the second Bilateral Senior Engineer Conference, June 2- 4, after collaborating with their bilateral engineer partners and commanders from various installations throughout the Pacific at Yokota Air Base, Japan.

June 10, 2021

Conference participants find engineering solutions to steer future construction in Japan

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Japan Engineer District wrapped up the second Bilateral Senior Engineer Conference, June 4, after collaborating for three days with their multinational engineer partners and commanders from various installations throughout the Pacific.

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mauricio Garcia, a UH-60M Black Hawk pilot and aviation safety officer, currently deployed to Colombia, is seen here with CW3 Kevin Wikstrom. (Courtesy photo)

June 9, 2021

Native Colombian pursues dream as Army aviator: Part 2

BOGOTA, Colombia — U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mauricio Garcia, a Black Hawk pilot assigned to the Army Security Assistance Command’s Fort Bragg-based training unit, the Security Assistance Training Management Organization, was born in Medellín, Colombia to working class parents.

Members of the West Virginia National Guard train Peruvian Armed Forces on the M1165 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle as part of the National Guard’s State Partnership Program in Lima, Peru, June 3, 2021. Peru will use the training on an international peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic.

June 8, 2021

WVNG helps prepare Peru military for peacekeeping mission

LIMA, Peru — Two members of the West Virginia National Guard helped prepare members of the Peruvian Army and Marine Corps for a global peacekeeping mission as part of the ongoing relationship between West Virginia and Peru through the State Partnership Program.

June 7, 2021

Sharing Logistics Expertise; the 5th SFAB sends Soldiers to Papua New Guinea

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea — A logistics team from the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade based at Joint Base Lewis McChord WA, traveled to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in May to conduct a month-long partnership with the Papua New Guinea Defense Force.

U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mauricio Garcia, a UH-60M Black Hawk pilot and aviation safety officer, currently deployed to Colombia, is seen here with CW3 Kevin Wikstrom. (Courtesy photo)

June 7, 2021

Native Colombian pursues dream as Army aviator: Part 1

BOGOTA, Colombia — As Chief Warrant Officer 3 Mauricio Garcia and his Colombian safety officer counterpart, Capt. Cristian Castiblanco, walk the flight line at a Colombian Army base, inspecting for safety hazards and violations, he could not help but marvel on how his life has come full circle.

U.S. Army Spc. Caylen De Los Reyes, an 11B Infantry Soldier assigned to 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry (Mountain), 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Vermont National Guard, moving through an obstacle during the French Desert Commando Course in Djibouti May 16, 2021.

June 4, 2021

VTNG Soldier completes French desert commando course

DJIBOUTI — Vermont National Guard Spc. Caylen De Los Reyes completed the demanding French Desert Commando Course.

Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, Vermont's adjutant general, gives opening remarks during a press conference May 27, 2021. Knight, along with Lt. Gov. Molly Gray (right) and Lindsay Kurrle (left), Vermont's secretary of commerce and community development, will spend several days in North Macedonia discussing expansion of the current State Partnership Program to include economic development opportunities. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Don Branum)

May 28, 2021

Vermont seeks to build upon partnership with North Macedonia

CAMP JOHNSON, Vermont — Maj. Gen. Greg Knight, the state adjutant general, will travel to North Macedonia May 29, accompanied by Vermont Lt. Gov. Molly Gray and Lindsay Kurrle, the state secretary of commerce and community development, to discuss how the state might build upon the existing State Partnership Program into economic areas.

The virtual Indo-Pacific Landpower Conference May 18, 2021.

May 27, 2021

Army looks to increase awareness of maritime domain in Indo-Pacific

Washington — Despite the Army’s primary focus on land, leveraging the maritime domain in the Indo-Pacific can still have lasting effects, the deputy commander of U.S. Army Pacific said last week.

DLIELC instructor Phil Reed shown in scenic photo in Hanoi, Vietnam.

May 26, 2021

DLIELC mobile training team support to Southeast Asia moves forward

JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas — The Defense Language Institute English Language Center re-engaged its support of the Indo-Pacific strategy in early April 2021 by deploying Mobile Training Teams to the Vietnam Ministry of National Defense Center for Student Management and Advanced Officer Training (Unit 871) in Hanoi, and the Royal Thai Military Academies and Language Institutes in Bangkok, Thailand.

Maj. Gen. Daniel R. Walrath, U.S. Army South commanding general, signs minutes during the sixth annual U.S., Peru army-to-army staff talks, May 20, at the Army South headquarters, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

May 25, 2021

Staff talks allow U.S. Army to assist Peruvian Army’s transformation, modernization

JOINT BAST SAN ANTONIO, Texas — During the Sixth Annual U.S.-Peruvian Army Staff Talks held virtually on May 20, the two armies strengthened the relationship between the two nations by agreeing to future military-to-military training opportunities.

A photo from the Japan Engineer District

May 25, 2021

Engineering Friendships Under Fuji

Japan — Maj. Tanaka Hiroaki of the Japan Ground Self Defense Force's elite Central Readiness Regiment has invited a team of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—JED officers to observe, remark, and take part in a United Nations exercise taking place at Kita Fuji, a JGSDF training facility located on the slopes of one of the world’s most famous mountain.

Indo-Pacific Land Power Conference

May 24, 2021

Indo-Pacific Land Power Conference

FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii — Regional army chiefs and leaders participated in the virtual Indo-Pacific Land Power Conference, May 18 - 19, 2021, hosted by U.S. Army Pacific Commanding General Gen. Paul J. LaCamera.

Wisconsin NG lays foundation for partnership with Papua New Guinea

May 19, 2021

Wisconsin National Guard Lays Foundation for Partnership with Papua New Guinea

MADISON, Wis. — One Wisconsin Army National Guard officer has spent the better part of the last year laying the foundation for the Wisconsin National Guard’s new state partnership with Papua New Guinea.

Left to right, Guatemalan Cols. Miguel Orozco, J2 intelligence director; Edgar Agustin, J3 operations director; and Romeo Nerio, training command director; examine an RQ-11 Raven unmanned aircraft operated by the Arkansas National Guard’s 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Maj. Gen. Walfre Carranza, Guatemala’s chief of defense, led a six-person delegation that toured Arkansas National Guard facilities May 13-15, 2021, under the State Partnership Program.

May 17, 2021

Guatemala, Arkansas National Guard grow SPP partnership

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas National Guard and its State Partnership Program counterpart, Guatemala, resumed face-to-face exchanges May 12-15 after a year of virtual exchanges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.