For over 30 years, the State Partnership Program (SPP) has been successfully building international relations, now encompassing 92 partnerships with 106 nations worldwide. This cost-effective initiative, administered by the National Guard Bureau, aligns with State Department foreign policy goals and is executed by state adjutants general to support combatant commander and U.S. Chief of Mission security cooperation objectives, as well as Department of Defense policy goals.

Through SPP, the National Guard conducts military-to-military engagements that support defense security goals while leveraging whole-of-society relationships and capabilities to facilitate broader interagency and corollary engagements spanning military, government, economic, and social spheres.

The Maryland National Guard’s State Partnership Program maintains partnerships with two European countries—Estonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Maryland plays a key role in this international initiative, fostering democracy, encouraging market economies, and promoting regional cooperation and stability. Maryland’s partnership with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), established in 2003, continues to flourish and expand, emphasizing civil and military cooperation with civilian control of a professional military.

Source: U.S. Department of Defense, SPP Program Overview and Military Department, National Guard of Maryland, SPP Program