New York National Guard inks State Partnership Program agreement with Swedish military

The New York National Guard and Swedish military entered into a joint training agreement on Friday, July 12, as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program during a ceremony held in New York City's Freedom Tower.

Major Gen. Raymond Shields, the adjutant general of New York and Marcos Soler, New York State's Deputy Secretary for Public Safety signed a document formalizing the agreement with Sweden's Minister for Defence Pal Jonson and Major General Johan Pekkari, chief of the Swedish Defence Staff's Strategy Unit.

"We are ushering in a new partnership for the Empire State, welcoming the Kingdom of Sweden to the New York National Guard's State Partnership Program, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "Our shared values, focus and commitment to the partnership will build relationships and improve capabilities for both our military forces. I look forward to the opportunities ahead."

As part of the partnership, the New York National Guard and Sweden will conduct joint training missions and military exchanges to improve readiness within their respective forces.

The agreement is the latest program that pairs state National Guards with the militaries of foreign countries, including some NATO allies.

"On March 7, 2024, Sweden became the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NATO," Shields said. "Allies, friends and partners are stronger together than they are individually - especially against those who want to destroy freedom and independence."

The partnership is part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program which pairs state National Guard's with the militaries of countries around the world in bilateral training and exchange partnerships.

"This partnership will not only enhance operational abilities it will also strengthen the bonds of friendship and a new understanding between our forces, and our countries," Jonson said.

"This is a big moment for us, and we are honored to be here." This partnership will be driven by the mutual need of capability developments," he continued.

For more than 30 years, National Guardsmen have built enduring connections with foreign counterparts through the State Partnership Program, said General Daniel Hokanson, the Chief of the National Guard Bureau. The program is one of the most productive, cost-effective security cooperation programs the United States has to offer.

We are hoping that being a part of the State Partnership Program, that it will open doors to new venues that will benefit both of our militaries and civil defence authorities, said Maj. Gen. Pekkari.

States such as New York would be the ultimate choice for Sweden, as a result we could not be happier standing here today, Pekkari continued.

The program originally began after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Guard was chosen to help former Soviet states reform their militaries and move toward civilian control of their armed forces as newly emerging democracies.

In 1993, the National Guard State Partnership Program started with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as they emerged from the breakup of the Soviet Union

Since then, the program has grown to 89 partnerships across 106 nations and every continent - today adding the Kingdom of Sweden to that list.

In recent years, Guardsmen have conducted about 1,000 training exchanges with their foreign counterparts annually, focusing on everything from peacekeeping operations to leadership development, lifesaving techniques and cyber defense.

New York has maintained a State Partnership Program relationship with the South African National Defense Force since 2003 and Brazilian Ministry of Defense since 2019.

The New York National Guard and Israeli Defense Forces also initiated a formalized relationship in 2019 with a bilateral security cooperation agreement and New York signed a statement of intent with Denmark in late 2023 to establish joint training and exchanges in Greenland with their Joint Arctic Command.

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