{"id":101511,"date":"2024-01-26T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=101511"},"modified":"2024-01-27T20:29:40","modified_gmt":"2024-01-27T20:29:40","slug":"hokanson-explores-national-guard-cooperation-with-kingdom-of-denmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=101511","title":{"rendered":"Hokanson Explores National Guard Cooperation with Kingdom of Denmark"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n 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. The Guard is partnered with 100 nations in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program in collaborative, mutually beneficial relationships to support State Department, DOD and combatant command security cooperation objectives.
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\n Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, left, talks with Gen. Flemming Lentfer, the Danish Chief of Defense, at the Ministry of Defense, Copenhagen, Denmark, Jan. 23, 2024. The Guard is partnered with 100 nations in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program in collaborative, mutually beneficial relationships to support State Department, DOD and combatant command security cooperation objectives.
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\n Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, left, talks with Kasper H\u00f8eg-Jensen, Denmark Deputy Permanent Secretary of State for Defense Policy, at the Ministry of Defense, Copenhagen, Denmark, Jan. 23, 2024. The Guard is partnered with 100 nations in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program in collaborative, mutually beneficial relationships to support State Department, DOD and combatant command security cooperation objectives.
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COPENHAGEN \u2013 On the last leg of a four-country trip to strengthen security cooperation between the National Guard and European partners, the Guard\u2019s senior-most officer talked with Danish Armed Forces leaders about the prospect of deeper engagements between the Guard and the Kingdom of Denmark.<\/p>\n

As a founding member of NATO and stalwart U.S. Ally, Denmark is a steady contributor to multinational operations. The Danish Armed Forces are considered a capable military force. So why work with the National Guard?<\/p>\n

Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, National Guard Bureau chief, outlined the Guard\u2019s ability to deliver a wide range of capabilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe National Guard is 20% of the Joint Force,\u201d Hokanson said. \u201cWe have eight divisions in the Army Guard and 90 wings in the Air Guard. Because we are the combat reserve of the Army and the Air Force, we can leverage our training, personnel and equipment to support civil authorities at home during times of crisis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also work with partner nations across the globe through the State Partnership Program to build capacity and compatibility,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause many of our Guardsmen serve in the same units over their entire careers, they build lasting relationships with their international counterparts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The State Partnership Program is a Defense Department program managed by the Guard Bureau and executed by the states, territories and the District of Columbia. Through the SPP, the Guard is partnered with 100 nations in collaborative, mutually beneficial relationships to support State Department, DOD and combatant command security cooperation objectives.<\/p>\n

One practical and strategic advantage the CNGB sees in partnering with Denmark is the ability for Guardsmen to potentially engage with the entire Kingdom of Denmark that also includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Kingdom of Denmark is of strategic importance to NATO and the whole region,\u201d Hokanson said. \u201cIt would be extremely beneficial for Guardsmen to train in Greenland and develop the capabilities to operate in the Arctic environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greenland, the largest island in the world, is a self-governing Danish territory. The Danish Armed Forces are responsible for defending and securing its nearly 840,000 square miles. Denmark\u2019s Joint Arctic Command, headquartered in Nuuk, Greenland, commands the nation\u2019s forces operating there.<\/p>\n

The foundations for greater collaboration between the Guard and Danish Armed Forces are already in place.<\/p>\n

Last September, the New York National Guard\u2019s 106th Rescue Wing trained with Danish counterparts during exercise ARCTIC LIGHT in Greenland.<\/p>\n

In November 2023, Army Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, New York\u2019s adjutant general, and Danish Maj. Gen. S\u00f8ren Andersen, commander of Denmark\u2019s Joint Arctic Command, signed a statement of intent to establish joint training and exchanges in Greenland between the New York Guard and the Joint Arctic Command.<\/p>\n

Through this agreement, Denmark and the New York Guard plan to conduct joint training, key leader discussions and exchange observers this year and in 2025.<\/p>\n

The New York Guard\u2019s 109th Airlift Wing regularly flies missions to Greenland and Antarctica to resupply U.S. research stations. 109th Airmen operate the only ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft in the DOD.<\/p>\n

Andersen agreed with the CNGB: \u201cIt takes expertise and training to deliver operational effects in the Arctic,\u201d he said. He added that the Danish Armed Forces\u2019 focus areas in Greenland include disaster relief, infrastructure protection, support to local authorities, icebreaking and search and rescue.<\/p>\n

Last December, Copenhagen and Washington finalized a Defense Cooperation Agreement that allows U.S. service members and military equipment to be based on Danish soil. Northwest Greenland is already home to Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Base, the DOD\u2019s northernmost installation.<\/p>\n

For years, Denmark has actively contributed to NATO\u2019s military defense of the Baltics. Copenhagen is preparing to dispatch a frigate to participate in Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led, multinational operation to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Danish pilots have trained with National Guard pilots and other international Allies in Tucson, Arizona. Ukrainian pilots will soon train in Denmark.<\/p>\n

Later this year, Denmark is planning to send F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters to Ukraine to support Ukraine\u2019s continued fight against unprovoked Russian aggression.<\/p>\n

General Flemming Lentfer, the Danish Chief of Defense, told Hokanson he sees great opportunities to work with the National Guard in the areas of cyber defense and hybrid threats.<\/p>\n

The Guard has cyber units in 42 states that can help civil authorities, if needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to any opportunity to work together in the future,\u201d Lentfer said.<\/p>\n

Hokanson also met with Kasper H\u00f8eg-Jensen, Denmark\u2019s deputy permanent secretary for security policy and operations at the Danish Ministry of Defense, where explained that partnering with the Guard can be as much, or as little as the partner nation wants.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a Kingdom, we\u2019re always looking to expand our cooperation with the U.S.,\u201d H\u00f8eg-Jensen said. \u201cThis sounds like something that would be beneficial for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eric Durr, Jaclyn Lyons and Staff Sgt. Sean Madden, New York National Guard, contributed.<\/em><\/p>\n

National Guard news<\/a><\/p>\n

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State Partnership Program<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 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. The Guard is partnered with 100 nations in the Department of Defense […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":101513,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-101511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=101511"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":101517,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101511\/revisions\/101517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/101513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=101511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=101511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=101511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}