{"id":521097,"date":"2025-07-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=521097"},"modified":"2025-07-09T07:50:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T07:50:05","slug":"state-partnership-program-enables-global-shared-peace-through-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=521097","title":{"rendered":"State Partnership Program enables global, shared ‘peace through strength’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/p>\n

<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/span>

\n
\n
\n U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Soloff, an infantryman with Charlie Company, 1st Brigade, 178th Infantry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard, observes Polish Territorial Defence soldiers as they prepare range cards necessary for Javelin deployment during Javelin anti-armor ambush training at the TDF Training Center in Toru\u0144, Poland, June 11, 2025. The Illinois National Guard and Poland are partners in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, which pairs Guard elements with partner nations worldwide for mutual training and subject matter expert exchanges. Servicemembers with the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team spent two weeks alongside their Polish counterparts training on sniper operations, the Javelin anti-tank weapon system, combat medical care, and remote observer techniques. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Peck)
\n (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Peck)<\/span>
\n <\/span>
\n VIEW ORIGINAL<\/a>
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 For more than 30 years, the National Guard has helped bolster the capabilities of foreign militaries, effectively broadening the pool of partners who are willing and able to support defense and security cooperation objectives across the globe.<\/p>\n

Now, lawmakers are assessing how to strategically expand the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program and its role in enhancing regional stability. The Military and Foreign Affairs Subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing at the U.S. Capitol June 25 to discuss the value of the SPP and how the program can further enhance global peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe State Partnership Program embodies a cost-effective and collaborative approach to \u2018Peace through Strength,\u2019\u201d said Army Maj. Gen. William Edwards, director for the National Guard Bureau\u2019s Strategic Plans and Policy, and International Affairs directorate. \u201cIt improves security capabilities of our partners and the readiness of our units.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bipartisan panel, led by subcommittee chairman U.S. Rep. William Timmons, also heard testimony from Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Partnerships Christopher Mamaux and Army Maj. Gen. Robin Stilwell, adjutant general of the South Carolina National Guard, on the program with direct ties to the Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance by increasing the ability for partner nations to fight or deter adversaries \u2014 either in lieu of U.S. forces or alongside them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe SPP directly contributes to the objective of ensuring partners can shoulder their share of the burden in our collective defense,\u201d Mamaux said. \u201cToday, the SPP boasts a network of 115 partner nations strategically aligned with the National Guard\u2019s presence in all 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking hand-in-hand with the State Department and geographic combatant commands, this extensive reach makes the SPP a critical component of the United States National Security Framework.\u201d<\/p>\n

The SPP is authorized by Congress and codified in law to support the security cooperation objectives of the United States. The program supports the combatant commands\u2019 theater security cooperation strategies and the U.S. State Department\u2019s integrated strategic plan for the partner nations.<\/p>\n

Timmons called the SPP one of DoD\u2019s most effective, yet often overlooked, tools of influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom Eastern Europe to the islands in the South Pacific, the State Partnership Program has helped the United States deter our adversaries, enhance allied interoperability and promote regional stability,\u201d Timmons said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently, the SPP\u2019s budget is just 1% of the overall defense security cooperation budget, but accounts for almost 30% of all geographic combatant command engagements with partners and allies,\u201d Timmons said. \u201cIt is my hope that this hearing will bring to light the need for enhanced funding for the State Partnership Program and the vital mission it supports.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamaux indicated a key element of the program\u2019s continued success is allocating resources to optimize and develop the most beneficial partnerships and to facilitate the development of lethal capabilities to defend the homeland and deter China.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeepening existing relationships and prioritizing partnerships aligned with key U.S. strategic objectives, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, is a crucial step to ensuring the SPP continues to deliver maximum value for the taxpayer,\u201d Mamaux said. \u201cWhile the success and value of the SPP is evident, it is paramount to ensure its alignment with the president\u2019s America First agenda \u2014 that every dollar we spend makes the American people safer, stronger and more prosperous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each partnership synchronizes strategic objectives between the state, the partner nation, the geographic command and the DoD to balance program activities and ensure a unified effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe State Partnership Program gives us flexibility and adaptability,\u201d Mamaux said. \u201cThese partnerships extend beyond traditional military training, encompassing disaster response, borders security and cyber defense.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently, the National Guard averages more than 1,000 engagements with SPP nations annually. Engagements include training exercises, bilateral staff talks and subject matter expert exchanges designed to build partner capacity, interoperability and trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough face-to-face engagements and cooperative training, the State Partnership Program cultivates essential relationships with our partner nations,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cIt improves interoperability and facilitates a shared responsibility to shoulder the regional security burdens of today\u2019s global environment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Soloff, an infantryman with Charlie Company, 1st Brigade, 178th Infantry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard, observes Polish Territorial Defence soldiers as they prepare range cards necessary for Javelin deployment during Javelin anti-armor ambush training at the TDF Training Center in Toru\u0144, Poland, June 11, 2025. The Illinois National Guard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":521099,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-521097","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\/521097","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=521097"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":521100,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/521097\/revisions\/521100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/521099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=521097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=521097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=521097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}