1 00:00:00,009 --> 00:00:02,120 Good morning . Good morning . How are 2 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:03,120 you ? Yeah , 3 00:00:11,859 --> 00:00:13,915 good morning and welcome . Thank you 4 00:00:13,915 --> 00:00:16,081 all for coming today . We're here with 5 00:00:16,081 --> 00:00:17,970 the Director , Strategy Plans and 6 00:00:17,970 --> 00:00:19,915 Policy and International Affairs , 7 00:00:19,915 --> 00:00:21,915 Major , General William Zana and he 8 00:00:21,915 --> 00:00:23,859 will discuss the state partnership 9 00:00:23,859 --> 00:00:25,915 programs 30th anniversary conference 10 00:00:25,915 --> 00:00:25,790 happening here in the national capital 11 00:00:25,799 --> 00:00:28,799 region . 17 and 18 , July . I'm Captain 12 00:00:28,809 --> 00:00:30,865 John National Guard Bureau of Public 13 00:00:30,865 --> 00:00:33,031 Affairs and I'll be moderating today's 14 00:00:33,031 --> 00:00:34,976 media roundtable . We will have 30 15 00:00:34,976 --> 00:00:36,976 minutes today . So I'd ask that you 16 00:00:36,976 --> 00:00:36,799 please keep your questions focused on 17 00:00:36,810 --> 00:00:38,754 the topic of the state partnership 18 00:00:38,754 --> 00:00:40,810 program and its anniversary events . 19 00:00:40,810 --> 00:00:42,643 General Zana has a brief opening 20 00:00:42,643 --> 00:00:44,866 statement and then we'll open it up for 21 00:00:44,866 --> 00:00:46,921 questions and to ensure we have time 22 00:00:46,921 --> 00:00:49,032 for everyone to participate , we will 23 00:00:49,032 --> 00:00:51,088 limit everyone to one question and a 24 00:00:51,088 --> 00:00:50,439 follow up . And then if there's 25 00:00:50,450 --> 00:00:52,672 additional time at the end , we'll open 26 00:00:52,672 --> 00:00:54,894 it up for additional questions . I have 27 00:00:54,894 --> 00:00:57,117 a list of the media joining us remotely 28 00:00:57,117 --> 00:00:59,117 and we'll call on you by name and I 29 00:00:59,117 --> 00:01:01,172 know some of you in the room but not 30 00:01:01,172 --> 00:01:03,339 everyone . Um So if you're in the room 31 00:01:03,339 --> 00:01:05,506 and I call on you , please uh announce 32 00:01:05,506 --> 00:01:05,089 your name and your outlet before asking 33 00:01:05,099 --> 00:01:07,266 your question . And with that , I will 34 00:01:07,266 --> 00:01:09,321 turn it over to General Zana for his 35 00:01:09,321 --> 00:01:11,266 opening remarks . General , thanks 36 00:01:11,266 --> 00:01:13,266 Captain John and and good morning , 37 00:01:13,266 --> 00:01:13,199 ladies and gentlemen , thanks for the 38 00:01:13,209 --> 00:01:15,376 opportunity to talk a little bit about 39 00:01:15,376 --> 00:01:17,265 the 30th anniversary of the state 40 00:01:17,265 --> 00:01:19,320 partnership program . A program that 41 00:01:19,320 --> 00:01:21,376 began in 1993 with just 13 countries 42 00:01:21,376 --> 00:01:23,320 and has now grown to 100 countries 43 00:01:23,510 --> 00:01:25,677 program's growth and evolution . As we 44 00:01:25,677 --> 00:01:27,621 look at , this is truly just quite 45 00:01:27,621 --> 00:01:29,788 remarkable . Today's National Guard is 46 00:01:29,788 --> 00:01:32,010 a ready , capable and vital part of our 47 00:01:32,010 --> 00:01:33,788 national defense strategy . The 48 00:01:33,788 --> 00:01:35,954 importance of allies and partners is a 49 00:01:35,954 --> 00:01:37,899 theme that runs deeply through our 50 00:01:37,899 --> 00:01:39,732 national security strategy , our 51 00:01:39,732 --> 00:01:41,510 national defense strategy , our 52 00:01:41,510 --> 00:01:43,677 national military strategy and I would 53 00:01:43,677 --> 00:01:43,639 argue is deeply and cultured within 54 00:01:43,650 --> 00:01:45,817 what we do as the US military , how we 55 00:01:45,817 --> 00:01:48,470 operate in our values . The SPP is a 56 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:50,591 program that clearly demonstrates our 57 00:01:50,591 --> 00:01:52,702 nation's enduring emphasis on working 58 00:01:52,702 --> 00:01:54,758 side by side with willing partners . 59 00:01:54,758 --> 00:01:56,924 The state partnership program provides 60 00:01:56,924 --> 00:01:58,980 an unparalleled opportunity where we 61 00:01:58,980 --> 00:02:01,202 the National Guard in close cooperation 62 00:02:01,202 --> 00:02:03,313 with both the dod Department of State 63 00:02:03,313 --> 00:02:05,536 and our nation and state partners build 64 00:02:05,536 --> 00:02:07,536 enduring and trusting relationships 65 00:02:07,536 --> 00:02:09,758 with partner nations around the world . 66 00:02:09,758 --> 00:02:11,869 The Guard is currently partnered with 67 00:02:11,869 --> 00:02:13,980 more than half of the world's nations 68 00:02:13,980 --> 00:02:16,091 and we expect to see continued growth 69 00:02:16,091 --> 00:02:15,529 in the coming years . We've got 70 00:02:15,539 --> 00:02:17,761 capacity within the Guard to be able to 71 00:02:17,761 --> 00:02:19,761 support additional partnerships and 72 00:02:19,761 --> 00:02:21,483 additional missions , training 73 00:02:21,483 --> 00:02:23,761 opportunities and exercises as many of , 74 00:02:23,761 --> 00:02:25,761 you know , the National Guard State 75 00:02:25,761 --> 00:02:25,729 Partnership Program will celebrate our 76 00:02:25,740 --> 00:02:27,910 30 years of building and growing these 77 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:30,141 successful long term relationships with 78 00:02:30,141 --> 00:02:32,141 allies and partners in a conference 79 00:02:32,141 --> 00:02:34,363 scheduled for next week , July 17th and 80 00:02:34,363 --> 00:02:36,030 18th at the Gay Lord National 81 00:02:36,030 --> 00:02:38,197 Convention Center National Harbor here 82 00:02:38,197 --> 00:02:40,419 in Maryland . This event will host 83 00:02:40,429 --> 00:02:42,429 approximately 600 participants from 84 00:02:42,429 --> 00:02:44,429 more than 90 nations with many 85 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:46,607 ministers of defense chiefs of defense 86 00:02:46,607 --> 00:02:48,384 ambassadors , combatant Command 87 00:02:48,384 --> 00:02:50,496 Commanders , State Adjutant General , 88 00:02:50,496 --> 00:02:52,607 senior enlisted leaders and a variety 89 00:02:52,607 --> 00:02:54,718 of speakers and panelists from across 90 00:02:54,718 --> 00:02:56,940 our whole of government , including the 91 00:02:56,940 --> 00:02:59,051 White House Department of Defense and 92 00:02:59,051 --> 00:03:00,884 Department of State . It's truly 93 00:03:00,884 --> 00:03:02,829 remarkable turnout for this at the 94 00:03:02,829 --> 00:03:04,884 conference , we will commemorate the 95 00:03:04,884 --> 00:03:06,884 program's many achievements . But I 96 00:03:06,884 --> 00:03:06,380 think more importantly , we're going to 97 00:03:06,389 --> 00:03:08,850 focus on sharing discussion uh to help 98 00:03:08,860 --> 00:03:10,693 shape the program's future , the 99 00:03:10,693 --> 00:03:12,804 evolution as we go forward , an event 100 00:03:12,804 --> 00:03:14,916 of this magnitude is unprecedented in 101 00:03:14,916 --> 00:03:16,971 the program's history and it's gonna 102 00:03:16,971 --> 00:03:19,138 provide us an opportunity to do at the 103 00:03:19,138 --> 00:03:19,050 highest level what the program does 104 00:03:19,059 --> 00:03:21,392 every day worldwide and that's to share , 105 00:03:21,392 --> 00:03:23,448 learn and grow with one another . We 106 00:03:23,448 --> 00:03:25,670 invite you to RSVP uh to one or more of 107 00:03:25,670 --> 00:03:27,948 the 30th anniversary conference events . 108 00:03:27,948 --> 00:03:29,948 The agenda is available and will be 109 00:03:29,948 --> 00:03:31,892 shared with you . Invited speakers 110 00:03:31,892 --> 00:03:34,059 include chairman of the Joint Chiefs , 111 00:03:34,059 --> 00:03:36,281 General Mark Milley , our J CS member , 112 00:03:36,281 --> 00:03:38,059 General Daniel Hokenson , Chief 113 00:03:38,059 --> 00:03:40,281 National Guard Bureau , many other high 114 00:03:40,281 --> 00:03:40,009 ranking us and foreign defense 115 00:03:40,020 --> 00:03:42,229 officials . We hope you will join us 116 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:44,351 and thanks again for your interest uh 117 00:03:44,351 --> 00:03:46,462 in this vitally important program . I 118 00:03:46,462 --> 00:03:48,407 look forward to some questions and 119 00:03:48,407 --> 00:03:50,629 discussion . Thank you , General Zana . 120 00:03:50,629 --> 00:03:52,629 I will now open it up for questions 121 00:03:52,629 --> 00:03:52,470 here in the room . I will start with 122 00:03:52,479 --> 00:03:54,812 John with the defense scoop . Thank you . 123 00:03:54,812 --> 00:03:56,868 Uh Thanks for doing this General . I 124 00:03:56,868 --> 00:03:58,979 was wondering to what extent Cyber uh 125 00:03:58,979 --> 00:04:01,199 plays a role in this program ? And are 126 00:04:01,210 --> 00:04:03,154 you looking to expand any of those 127 00:04:03,154 --> 00:04:05,210 initiatives of some of these partner 128 00:04:05,210 --> 00:04:07,210 nations ? And John , thanks for the 129 00:04:07,210 --> 00:04:09,154 question on Cyber . What we see is 130 00:04:09,154 --> 00:04:11,321 there are a lot of um if you look over 131 00:04:11,321 --> 00:04:13,543 the history of the program , you see an 132 00:04:13,543 --> 00:04:15,543 evolution of the things that really 133 00:04:15,543 --> 00:04:17,377 focus on and training . Uh Cyber 134 00:04:17,377 --> 00:04:19,154 information operations has been 135 00:04:19,154 --> 00:04:21,266 something that's emergent . There's a 136 00:04:21,266 --> 00:04:23,377 great demand signal for uh one of the 137 00:04:23,377 --> 00:04:25,321 breakout sessions or one of the uh 138 00:04:25,321 --> 00:04:27,543 panel discussions that we've got during 139 00:04:27,543 --> 00:04:29,599 the event is focused specifically on 140 00:04:29,599 --> 00:04:31,654 Cyber . We see a great demand signal 141 00:04:31,654 --> 00:04:33,488 from our partners to to grow the 142 00:04:33,488 --> 00:04:35,710 capabilities . We face many of the same 143 00:04:35,710 --> 00:04:38,519 challenges both in terms of adversaries 144 00:04:38,529 --> 00:04:40,751 and in terms of the efforts that we put 145 00:04:40,751 --> 00:04:42,973 at this over the last couple of years , 146 00:04:42,973 --> 00:04:45,085 we've seen a tremendous growth in the 147 00:04:45,085 --> 00:04:47,029 number of things that we do , both 148 00:04:47,029 --> 00:04:49,140 exchanges , exercises and events that 149 00:04:49,140 --> 00:04:51,362 are either related to state partnership 150 00:04:51,362 --> 00:04:53,418 program or more broadly , what we do 151 00:04:53,418 --> 00:04:55,529 within the Guard with our partners in 152 00:04:55,529 --> 00:04:57,696 security cooperation . I see continued 153 00:04:57,696 --> 00:04:59,807 growth in that , in other areas , one 154 00:04:59,807 --> 00:05:02,029 of the other areas that we see a lot of 155 00:05:02,029 --> 00:05:04,140 discussion on and I think it's driven 156 00:05:04,140 --> 00:05:04,049 by what many people are seeing in the 157 00:05:04,059 --> 00:05:07,130 news , uh unmanned aerial systems . Uh 158 00:05:07,140 --> 00:05:09,980 We see uh tremendous interest in space 159 00:05:09,989 --> 00:05:12,156 activities and operations as well . Uh 160 00:05:12,156 --> 00:05:13,878 We also see growth and I think 161 00:05:13,878 --> 00:05:16,209 opportunities within uh areas like 162 00:05:16,220 --> 00:05:18,276 women , peace and security . I think 163 00:05:18,276 --> 00:05:20,553 there's a number of um of our partners , 164 00:05:20,553 --> 00:05:22,664 uh , who we have both shared with and 165 00:05:22,664 --> 00:05:24,609 are learning from in terms of best 166 00:05:24,609 --> 00:05:26,553 practices across all those areas . 167 00:05:26,553 --> 00:05:28,776 Thank you . I was wondering , does this 168 00:05:28,776 --> 00:05:30,942 program , uh , play at all into the so 169 00:05:30,942 --> 00:05:32,942 called Hunt forward operations that 170 00:05:32,942 --> 00:05:35,109 cyber comm does is , is the guard part 171 00:05:35,109 --> 00:05:37,331 of that ? And is it at all connected to 172 00:05:37,331 --> 00:05:37,010 this program or is that a totally 173 00:05:37,019 --> 00:05:39,352 separate thing ? Totally separate thing ? 174 00:05:39,352 --> 00:05:41,720 But what I would say is , uh , within 175 00:05:41,730 --> 00:05:43,841 the , the State Partnership program , 176 00:05:43,841 --> 00:05:46,209 you've got , um , it's a mill to mill 177 00:05:46,220 --> 00:05:48,220 relationship initially , but really 178 00:05:48,220 --> 00:05:50,331 that's just the opening of the door , 179 00:05:50,331 --> 00:05:52,553 uh , to all sorts of other activities . 180 00:05:52,553 --> 00:05:54,959 Um , we see that , uh , often the , the 181 00:05:54,970 --> 00:05:56,748 trust that's built within these 182 00:05:56,748 --> 00:05:58,581 relationships helps us , uh , to 183 00:05:58,581 --> 00:06:00,692 partner in many different ways with , 184 00:06:00,692 --> 00:06:02,750 with partners . Thanks . OK . We'll 185 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:04,704 take our next question virtually . 186 00:06:04,704 --> 00:06:06,927 We'll go to Phil Stewart with Reuters . 187 00:06:08,630 --> 00:06:10,797 Hey there . Um , I know you're focused 188 00:06:10,797 --> 00:06:13,019 on the State Partnership Program . Uh , 189 00:06:13,019 --> 00:06:14,908 my questions are , are related to 190 00:06:14,908 --> 00:06:17,074 Taiwan wondering , uh , you know , how 191 00:06:17,074 --> 00:06:19,186 uh how , how easily uh you know , you 192 00:06:19,186 --> 00:06:21,186 would be able to incorporate Taiwan 193 00:06:21,186 --> 00:06:23,241 into the State Partnership program . 194 00:06:23,241 --> 00:06:25,297 What challenges uh you would face in 195 00:06:25,297 --> 00:06:27,408 doing so , Hawaii has been cited as a 196 00:06:27,408 --> 00:06:29,519 possible uh state to do that . Um And 197 00:06:29,519 --> 00:06:31,797 also could you bring us up to speed on , 198 00:06:31,797 --> 00:06:34,109 on where uh guard uh training is with 199 00:06:34,119 --> 00:06:36,390 the , with the Taiwanese uh right now ? 200 00:06:36,399 --> 00:06:38,510 And what kind of cooperation exists ? 201 00:06:38,510 --> 00:06:40,232 Thanks , Phil , Thanks for the 202 00:06:40,232 --> 00:06:42,399 questions . And what I would say first 203 00:06:42,399 --> 00:06:44,177 off , uh the focus for today is 204 00:06:44,177 --> 00:06:46,399 strictly on state partnership program . 205 00:06:46,399 --> 00:06:48,399 Taiwan is not . Um uh There , there 206 00:06:48,399 --> 00:06:50,510 have been discussions about admission 207 00:06:50,510 --> 00:06:52,630 there . The process that we work with 208 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:54,862 uh every nation is that there has to be 209 00:06:54,862 --> 00:06:57,179 a request from the nation . Um This has 210 00:06:57,190 --> 00:06:59,301 worked closely with the Department of 211 00:06:59,301 --> 00:07:01,301 State Representatives . Uh It comes 212 00:07:01,301 --> 00:07:03,412 back to dod and there's a partnership 213 00:07:03,412 --> 00:07:05,634 that occurs in a dialogue at every step 214 00:07:05,634 --> 00:07:07,634 of the way it could be premature to 215 00:07:07,634 --> 00:07:09,857 talk about anything with Taiwan . Uh We 216 00:07:09,857 --> 00:07:12,079 have other nations that we partner with 217 00:07:12,079 --> 00:07:11,200 that are outside of the state 218 00:07:11,209 --> 00:07:13,559 partnership program uh every day . And 219 00:07:13,570 --> 00:07:16,209 we've got relationships that uh have 220 00:07:16,220 --> 00:07:18,331 more recently come into the program . 221 00:07:18,331 --> 00:07:20,510 An example would be uh with Norway and 222 00:07:20,519 --> 00:07:22,709 Minnesota , a partnership that existed 223 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:24,609 not within the realm of the state 224 00:07:24,609 --> 00:07:26,959 partnership program , but with combined 225 00:07:26,970 --> 00:07:29,429 operations and exercises over 50 years 226 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,149 and just formalized last year . Thanks 227 00:07:32,160 --> 00:07:34,739 Bill . Take another one virtually , we 228 00:07:34,750 --> 00:07:36,806 will go to Chris Gordon with Air and 229 00:07:36,806 --> 00:07:40,220 Space Forces magazine . Hi , thank you , 230 00:07:40,230 --> 00:07:43,420 sir for doing this . Um I just as you 231 00:07:43,429 --> 00:07:46,700 look forward for the next 30 years of 232 00:07:46,709 --> 00:07:49,640 uh state partnership programs , um is 233 00:07:49,649 --> 00:07:51,871 there gonna be an increasing role uh to 234 00:07:51,871 --> 00:07:55,220 train partner nation um Air 235 00:07:55,230 --> 00:07:58,820 Forces and uh and to allude to 236 00:07:58,829 --> 00:08:01,779 John's point earlier . Um Is there any 237 00:08:01,790 --> 00:08:05,000 uh plan to conduct some space training 238 00:08:05,010 --> 00:08:07,440 as well ? Um With partner nations , 239 00:08:08,380 --> 00:08:10,491 Chris , thanks for the question . And 240 00:08:10,491 --> 00:08:12,920 first to lead off about the part for 30 241 00:08:12,929 --> 00:08:15,151 years , one of the things we often talk 242 00:08:15,151 --> 00:08:17,262 about as we reach this very important 243 00:08:17,262 --> 00:08:19,410 milestone of 100 countries at , at 30 244 00:08:19,420 --> 00:08:21,531 years , there was no goal for us to , 245 00:08:21,589 --> 00:08:23,756 to get to that . It's just kind of how 246 00:08:23,756 --> 00:08:25,700 the program has evolved as we look 247 00:08:25,700 --> 00:08:27,922 forward . One of the things that I talk 248 00:08:27,922 --> 00:08:30,089 about in the future is we don't expect 249 00:08:30,089 --> 00:08:29,880 the next 30 years to simply be adding 250 00:08:29,890 --> 00:08:32,000 another 100 countries and slap the 251 00:08:32,010 --> 00:08:34,010 table . And we're done , we look at 252 00:08:34,010 --> 00:08:35,843 really the evolution of , of the 253 00:08:35,843 --> 00:08:38,549 relevance uh and the uh the focus areas 254 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:40,989 of , of training and partnership with , 255 00:08:40,999 --> 00:08:43,221 with all the different nations , what I 256 00:08:43,221 --> 00:08:45,110 would say is uh while some of the 257 00:08:45,110 --> 00:08:47,549 initial um partnerships featured a lot 258 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:49,781 more activity that were associated with 259 00:08:49,781 --> 00:08:52,068 land forces over the arc of the program 260 00:08:52,078 --> 00:08:53,856 in the last 30 years , we see a 261 00:08:53,856 --> 00:08:55,967 tremendous increase in the partnering 262 00:08:55,967 --> 00:08:58,169 uh across Air Force and Air Guard . Uh 263 00:08:58,179 --> 00:09:01,468 and I think uh we just expect that to 264 00:09:01,479 --> 00:09:05,099 continue uh further and this goes back 265 00:09:05,109 --> 00:09:07,331 to John's questions . We absolutely see 266 00:09:07,331 --> 00:09:09,500 a demand signal from our partners um 267 00:09:09,510 --> 00:09:11,566 and an opportunity to work with them 268 00:09:11,566 --> 00:09:13,880 much more closely on space . We see 269 00:09:13,890 --> 00:09:15,779 that uh at scale and at different 270 00:09:15,779 --> 00:09:17,890 levels , different nations are either 271 00:09:17,890 --> 00:09:20,112 directly involved in some of the things 272 00:09:20,112 --> 00:09:22,279 that um that they want to do for their 273 00:09:22,279 --> 00:09:24,501 own interests in terms of space or that 274 00:09:24,501 --> 00:09:26,446 uh other nations , in some cases , 275 00:09:26,446 --> 00:09:28,557 adversaries have an interest in their 276 00:09:28,557 --> 00:09:30,446 capabilities . Um So it's a great 277 00:09:30,446 --> 00:09:32,830 opportunity for us to both learn , grow 278 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:34,951 and , and share with partners . And I 279 00:09:34,951 --> 00:09:37,007 think that access and influence is a 280 00:09:37,007 --> 00:09:39,062 very important part of the program . 281 00:09:39,062 --> 00:09:41,173 Thanks . Are there any questions here 282 00:09:41,173 --> 00:09:43,570 in the room , Jim ? Hi , sir . Good to 283 00:09:43,580 --> 00:09:45,858 see you again . Great to see you , Jim . 284 00:09:45,858 --> 00:09:49,700 Um You know , I , there , I haven't 285 00:09:49,710 --> 00:09:52,700 spoken to a combatant commander who 286 00:09:52,710 --> 00:09:54,510 hasn't praised the state State 287 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:57,179 Partnership program to the , I mean , 288 00:09:57,190 --> 00:09:59,190 they , they believe it's a , it's a 289 00:09:59,190 --> 00:10:02,940 very good expenditure of funds . Um And 290 00:10:02,950 --> 00:10:05,570 they want more . Is there any way to 291 00:10:05,580 --> 00:10:07,802 speed up the process ? And I'm thinking 292 00:10:07,802 --> 00:10:10,530 specifically in these um you know , 293 00:10:10,539 --> 00:10:14,179 commands like Africa command or uh or 294 00:10:14,190 --> 00:10:16,479 in , in some of the island nations of , 295 00:10:16,489 --> 00:10:18,929 of the Indo Pacific command , any way 296 00:10:18,940 --> 00:10:20,996 to speed that process up ? Is that a 297 00:10:20,996 --> 00:10:24,880 problem with just uh the process or is 298 00:10:24,890 --> 00:10:27,001 that , is that a problem that you now 299 00:10:27,001 --> 00:10:29,057 are getting sort of limited with who 300 00:10:29,057 --> 00:10:31,549 you can add . Uh Jim , great to see you 301 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:33,392 again . And , and thanks for the 302 00:10:33,392 --> 00:10:35,448 question . I could spend probably an 303 00:10:35,448 --> 00:10:37,559 hour just on this and expanding , but 304 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:37,289 I'm gonna focus on a , a couple of 305 00:10:37,299 --> 00:10:40,640 aspects of it . Um We benefit um 306 00:10:40,650 --> 00:10:42,830 by the interest and the support from 307 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:45,007 the combatant commanders , the service 308 00:10:45,007 --> 00:10:47,118 component commands . One of the great 309 00:10:47,118 --> 00:10:49,340 things about the program , my job is uh 310 00:10:49,340 --> 00:10:51,340 everyone wants more of this and the 311 00:10:51,340 --> 00:10:53,396 participants , both when you look at 312 00:10:53,396 --> 00:10:53,239 this down , at the tactical level , the 313 00:10:53,250 --> 00:10:55,028 soldiers and the airmen who are 314 00:10:55,028 --> 00:10:57,139 involved in this every day . Uh Up to 315 00:10:57,139 --> 00:10:58,861 our most senior leaders , they 316 00:10:58,861 --> 00:11:01,083 recognize the value uh in the return on 317 00:11:01,083 --> 00:11:03,139 investment uh that return investment 318 00:11:03,139 --> 00:11:05,250 piece . One of the metrics they often 319 00:11:05,250 --> 00:11:07,028 share . It's 1% of the nation's 320 00:11:07,028 --> 00:11:09,194 security cooperation budget results in 321 00:11:09,194 --> 00:11:11,028 20 to 30% of the touch points or 322 00:11:11,028 --> 00:11:13,028 engagements that combatant commands 323 00:11:13,028 --> 00:11:14,972 have . So they inherently see that 324 00:11:14,972 --> 00:11:17,139 value and that the multipliers that go 325 00:11:17,139 --> 00:11:20,119 with that . Um When we look at uh this 326 00:11:20,130 --> 00:11:21,929 demand signal for both more 327 00:11:21,940 --> 00:11:24,051 partnerships , which is one aspect of 328 00:11:24,051 --> 00:11:25,996 it , but also more resources to go 329 00:11:25,996 --> 00:11:28,218 towards the partnerships that we have . 330 00:11:28,239 --> 00:11:30,359 It's uh it's kind of a multi pronged 331 00:11:30,469 --> 00:11:32,580 thing that we've got to work . Uh The 332 00:11:32,580 --> 00:11:35,270 first part in terms of the um of the 333 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:37,630 year to year edition of Nations , this 334 00:11:37,640 --> 00:11:40,109 past year was uh was unprecedented and 335 00:11:40,119 --> 00:11:42,341 adding five nations unprecedented since 336 00:11:42,341 --> 00:11:44,452 the beginning of the program , but it 337 00:11:44,452 --> 00:11:46,619 was the right time and the right fit . 338 00:11:46,619 --> 00:11:48,619 And as we looked at the cooperation 339 00:11:48,619 --> 00:11:48,340 with the Department of State and 340 00:11:48,349 --> 00:11:50,405 Department of Defense , it just made 341 00:11:50,405 --> 00:11:52,460 sense to do that . We normally would 342 00:11:52,460 --> 00:11:54,238 look at adding just a couple of 343 00:11:54,238 --> 00:11:56,460 partners a year , look across the globe 344 00:11:56,460 --> 00:11:58,516 at which nations have requested it . 345 00:11:58,516 --> 00:12:00,738 That's a key part of it , which nations 346 00:12:00,738 --> 00:12:02,793 are ready to embark on this . And we 347 00:12:02,793 --> 00:12:04,849 see a kind of an emergence of many 348 00:12:04,859 --> 00:12:06,859 other nations who probably wouldn't 349 00:12:06,859 --> 00:12:08,970 have had an interest 20 years ago who 350 00:12:08,970 --> 00:12:10,915 have a keen interest . Now look no 351 00:12:10,915 --> 00:12:13,137 further than what's going on in Ukraine 352 00:12:13,137 --> 00:12:15,359 and Russia , we see great interest from 353 00:12:15,359 --> 00:12:17,526 our Nordic partners and other partners 354 00:12:17,526 --> 00:12:19,470 in Europe . Enduring interest from 355 00:12:19,470 --> 00:12:21,526 Africa and having spent two the last 356 00:12:21,526 --> 00:12:23,770 four years on continent Africa , I saw 357 00:12:24,049 --> 00:12:25,993 the manifestation of how important 358 00:12:25,993 --> 00:12:28,520 those programs were to many of the uh 359 00:12:28,530 --> 00:12:30,530 of the smaller nations that we deal 360 00:12:30,530 --> 00:12:32,530 with when I say smaller in terms of 361 00:12:32,530 --> 00:12:34,419 their overall capacity to defense 362 00:12:34,419 --> 00:12:36,197 budget . The other part to your 363 00:12:36,197 --> 00:12:38,197 question that I'd like to , to just 364 00:12:38,197 --> 00:12:40,363 engage on . Um we're limited only by , 365 00:12:40,363 --> 00:12:42,474 by resources and , and imaginations . 366 00:12:42,799 --> 00:12:44,577 Uh Often times some of the most 367 00:12:44,577 --> 00:12:46,688 creative uh activities and the things 368 00:12:46,688 --> 00:12:48,688 that happen with the program are an 369 00:12:48,688 --> 00:12:50,743 expansion beyond Mill to mill or the 370 00:12:50,743 --> 00:12:53,021 creativity that goes with our soldiers , 371 00:12:53,021 --> 00:12:54,966 airmen and their counterparts from 372 00:12:54,966 --> 00:12:57,021 other countries . Uh that said there 373 00:12:57,021 --> 00:12:59,243 are limitations with the funding of the 374 00:12:59,243 --> 00:13:01,466 program , the funding processes that we 375 00:13:01,466 --> 00:13:03,799 have . It's about a $50 million program . 376 00:13:03,799 --> 00:13:06,630 We've often relied very largely each 377 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:08,989 year on congressional ads . That , 378 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:11,111 that's great . And we appreciate that 379 00:13:11,111 --> 00:13:13,278 support from the hill . The reality is 380 00:13:13,278 --> 00:13:15,820 getting this into base budgets , uh is 381 00:13:15,830 --> 00:13:17,774 something that would normalize the 382 00:13:17,774 --> 00:13:19,774 processes and allow us , especially 383 00:13:19,774 --> 00:13:21,886 when we're operating under continuing 384 00:13:21,886 --> 00:13:24,052 resolution . A better planning horizon 385 00:13:24,052 --> 00:13:26,274 working with our partners . When do you 386 00:13:26,274 --> 00:13:28,386 think about what it takes for a state 387 00:13:28,386 --> 00:13:30,552 or territory district within the US to 388 00:13:30,552 --> 00:13:32,719 coordinate through a combatant command 389 00:13:32,719 --> 00:13:34,886 with a foreign partner ? That just the 390 00:13:34,886 --> 00:13:37,052 admin and logistics of that to make it 391 00:13:37,052 --> 00:13:39,163 happen ? It's a challenge and we make 392 00:13:39,163 --> 00:13:41,274 it very difficult . We look at nearly 393 00:13:41,274 --> 00:13:43,274 100% execution of funds last year . 394 00:13:43,274 --> 00:13:45,690 It's just because of those efforts that 395 00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:47,909 said with shortfalls in budget this 396 00:13:47,919 --> 00:13:50,190 year , we've got hundreds of events 397 00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:52,144 that we've either had to cancel or 398 00:13:52,144 --> 00:13:54,144 postpone . And these are all events 399 00:13:54,144 --> 00:13:56,144 that are very much aligned with our 400 00:13:56,144 --> 00:13:58,367 national defense strategy and very much 401 00:13:58,367 --> 00:13:58,200 aligned with our partners and our 402 00:13:58,210 --> 00:14:00,432 combatant commands theater strategies . 403 00:14:00,510 --> 00:14:02,454 And from my viewpoint , one of the 404 00:14:02,454 --> 00:14:05,130 things I often cite you have so many 405 00:14:05,140 --> 00:14:07,307 stakeholders in this program , but all 406 00:14:07,307 --> 00:14:09,362 of the stakeholders see the richness 407 00:14:09,369 --> 00:14:11,425 and the goodness of this . You could 408 00:14:11,425 --> 00:14:13,425 almost draw a ven diagram of what a 409 00:14:13,425 --> 00:14:15,890 nation partner wants to do , kind of 410 00:14:15,900 --> 00:14:17,900 plot those points , what a chief of 411 00:14:17,900 --> 00:14:19,900 mission and ambassador , his or her 412 00:14:19,900 --> 00:14:21,890 staff want to do in terms of their 413 00:14:21,900 --> 00:14:24,010 focus . Look at what a combatant 414 00:14:24,020 --> 00:14:25,909 command wants to do . Look at our 415 00:14:25,909 --> 00:14:28,020 strategy and look at the capabilities 416 00:14:28,020 --> 00:14:30,020 within the guard . All those things 417 00:14:30,020 --> 00:14:31,964 come together in a little bit of a 418 00:14:31,964 --> 00:14:34,187 sweet spot where you then target , what 419 00:14:34,187 --> 00:14:33,460 is it that builds the most readiness 420 00:14:33,469 --> 00:14:35,869 within our formations ? Uh And how do 421 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:37,769 we leverage that working with our 422 00:14:37,769 --> 00:14:39,936 partners ? The fact that it can adjust 423 00:14:39,936 --> 00:14:42,219 uh year to year event to event exercise 424 00:14:42,229 --> 00:14:44,340 to exercise that dynamic part is , is 425 00:14:44,340 --> 00:14:46,940 important . I'd suggest that if we had 426 00:14:46,950 --> 00:14:49,172 full funding from the services and that 427 00:14:49,172 --> 00:14:51,283 those congressional ads , and again , 428 00:14:51,283 --> 00:14:53,450 we appreciate that support are focused 429 00:14:53,450 --> 00:14:55,506 on those things that are emergent to 430 00:14:55,506 --> 00:14:57,672 the combatant commanders within a year 431 00:14:57,672 --> 00:14:59,839 of execution . We look at what's going 432 00:14:59,839 --> 00:15:01,617 on within Ukraine right now and 433 00:15:01,617 --> 00:15:01,330 supporting our partners who are 434 00:15:01,340 --> 00:15:03,562 supporting that fight . This is a vital 435 00:15:03,562 --> 00:15:06,890 way that the program got 30 years of 436 00:15:06,900 --> 00:15:09,460 trusted relationships and partnerships 437 00:15:09,650 --> 00:15:11,880 that go back to all the countries that 438 00:15:11,890 --> 00:15:14,001 are most directly involved in this uh 439 00:15:14,001 --> 00:15:15,946 recent discussions with our Polish 440 00:15:15,946 --> 00:15:18,057 counterparts or Romanian counterparts 441 00:15:18,057 --> 00:15:20,168 or Ukrainian counterparts . It's just 442 00:15:20,168 --> 00:15:22,223 you see the uh the importance of the 443 00:15:22,223 --> 00:15:25,330 program . So additional , um I think um 444 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:28,750 the the resources having uh a process 445 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:31,150 that we can uh we can depend on a 446 00:15:31,159 --> 00:15:33,326 little bit more soundly , year to year 447 00:15:33,326 --> 00:15:35,437 is helpful and then continued measure 448 00:15:35,437 --> 00:15:37,326 growth . And I think that goes in 449 00:15:37,326 --> 00:15:39,437 partnership again with the department 450 00:15:39,437 --> 00:15:41,603 of State Department defense . Thanks . 451 00:15:41,603 --> 00:15:43,826 And if I could just have a little bit , 452 00:15:43,826 --> 00:15:46,700 you , 30 years , some of you , some of 453 00:15:46,710 --> 00:15:48,543 you guys have grown up with your 454 00:15:48,543 --> 00:15:50,710 partners . I mean , that has to , that 455 00:15:50,710 --> 00:15:52,932 has to be worth something there alone . 456 00:15:53,429 --> 00:15:55,596 Yeah . So , one of the keys that I see 457 00:15:55,596 --> 00:15:57,762 and I've , I've been , uh , the person 458 00:15:57,762 --> 00:15:59,818 who's gone into different nations or 459 00:15:59,818 --> 00:16:01,707 worked on different exercises and 460 00:16:01,707 --> 00:16:03,651 events where it's a short duration 461 00:16:03,651 --> 00:16:05,707 partnership and both sides of this , 462 00:16:05,707 --> 00:16:07,540 you still want , you , you bring 463 00:16:07,540 --> 00:16:09,707 goodwill uh to that , but it's not the 464 00:16:09,707 --> 00:16:11,929 same as having um , a relationship that 465 00:16:11,929 --> 00:16:13,873 has endured over many , many years 466 00:16:13,873 --> 00:16:16,020 where you , you know , you exchange 467 00:16:16,030 --> 00:16:18,197 information outside of this families , 468 00:16:18,197 --> 00:16:20,363 know one another , you've broken bread 469 00:16:20,363 --> 00:16:22,760 uh on both sides of an ocean , uh that 470 00:16:22,770 --> 00:16:25,760 trust , uh , you , you can't build that 471 00:16:25,770 --> 00:16:27,969 overnight . Uh Those seeds that are 472 00:16:27,979 --> 00:16:29,979 planted . Um I think it's something 473 00:16:29,979 --> 00:16:32,520 that is we as , uh as United States 474 00:16:32,530 --> 00:16:34,641 military particularly good at and our 475 00:16:34,641 --> 00:16:36,849 partners are really good at . Uh The 476 00:16:36,859 --> 00:16:39,026 other piece is that if you look across 477 00:16:39,026 --> 00:16:41,248 the forces , there are so many soldiers 478 00:16:41,248 --> 00:16:43,809 and airmen on uh both the US side or 479 00:16:43,820 --> 00:16:46,000 our counterparts side who have only 480 00:16:46,010 --> 00:16:48,250 known an existence , a context for 481 00:16:48,260 --> 00:16:50,316 their military service in which they 482 00:16:50,316 --> 00:16:52,427 had a partnership . So they look back 483 00:16:52,427 --> 00:16:54,593 and this is as much a part , it's kind 484 00:16:54,593 --> 00:16:56,760 of the lore or the legacy within units 485 00:16:56,760 --> 00:16:58,982 that they hear this from the people who 486 00:16:58,982 --> 00:17:01,204 went before them , they hear stories uh 487 00:17:01,204 --> 00:17:03,260 about the events that they did , the 488 00:17:03,260 --> 00:17:05,260 challenges in training . Uh The the 489 00:17:05,260 --> 00:17:07,349 shared aspect of this , we wouldn't 490 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:09,581 have realized when the uh program first 491 00:17:09,581 --> 00:17:11,748 started that it would then years later 492 00:17:11,748 --> 00:17:14,719 result in co deployments , um forces 493 00:17:14,729 --> 00:17:16,896 from the National Guard , deploying in 494 00:17:16,896 --> 00:17:19,007 harm's way and losing service members 495 00:17:19,007 --> 00:17:21,530 alongside partners , the richness of 496 00:17:21,540 --> 00:17:23,707 those connections , it , it can't be , 497 00:17:23,719 --> 00:17:25,830 can't be overstated . And it's one of 498 00:17:25,830 --> 00:17:28,108 those things that I think has made the , 499 00:17:28,108 --> 00:17:31,160 the program um both uh both popular in , 500 00:17:31,170 --> 00:17:33,226 in this enduring enthusiasm for it . 501 00:17:34,650 --> 00:17:36,817 Just take another virtual question and 502 00:17:36,817 --> 00:17:38,872 we'll go to Carla Bab with voices of 503 00:17:38,872 --> 00:17:42,479 America General carload with Bo A . Um 504 00:17:42,489 --> 00:17:44,656 Thanks for doing this . I just want to 505 00:17:44,656 --> 00:17:46,489 follow up on what you said about 506 00:17:46,489 --> 00:17:48,545 Ukraine . Can you talk about how the 507 00:17:48,545 --> 00:17:50,800 spill over from the war in Ukraine has 508 00:17:50,810 --> 00:17:52,921 affected the California partnership , 509 00:17:52,921 --> 00:17:54,719 for example , and not just that 510 00:17:54,729 --> 00:17:56,785 partnership , but the partnership um 511 00:17:56,785 --> 00:17:58,562 with the , with the surrounding 512 00:17:58,562 --> 00:18:00,618 countries like Moldova like Poland , 513 00:18:00,618 --> 00:18:03,390 like Romania , I appreciate the 514 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:05,456 question . And I think this has been 515 00:18:05,456 --> 00:18:07,344 one of the things that has really 516 00:18:07,344 --> 00:18:09,344 brought for many people , the State 517 00:18:09,344 --> 00:18:11,456 Partnership program into the news and 518 00:18:11,456 --> 00:18:13,650 into the vision of folks who may have 519 00:18:13,660 --> 00:18:16,140 otherwise not realized the depth and 520 00:18:16,150 --> 00:18:18,540 the breadth of the relationships . So 521 00:18:18,550 --> 00:18:21,979 in advance of Russia's invasion of 522 00:18:21,989 --> 00:18:24,540 Ukraine , we were doing close 523 00:18:24,550 --> 00:18:27,239 partnerships , not just with the , with 524 00:18:27,250 --> 00:18:29,439 California and Ukraine . One of the 525 00:18:29,449 --> 00:18:31,979 things we often refer to is you marry 526 00:18:31,989 --> 00:18:33,878 one state , but you get the whole 527 00:18:33,878 --> 00:18:36,045 family with a guard . So when there is 528 00:18:36,045 --> 00:18:38,211 a capability that doesn't exist within 529 00:18:38,211 --> 00:18:40,211 one guard , army guard or air guard 530 00:18:40,211 --> 00:18:42,433 within a state , we reach across the 54 531 00:18:42,433 --> 00:18:44,545 states territories and district to be 532 00:18:44,545 --> 00:18:46,545 able to get additional resources or 533 00:18:46,545 --> 00:18:48,767 capability . This sort of dynamic shift 534 00:18:48,767 --> 00:18:50,711 really plays well to being able to 535 00:18:50,711 --> 00:18:52,822 support our partners needs it demands 536 00:18:52,822 --> 00:18:55,045 and expectations . In real time , we've 537 00:18:55,045 --> 00:18:57,267 got some flexibility that's built in by 538 00:18:57,267 --> 00:18:59,420 scaling this across the 54 in advance 539 00:18:59,430 --> 00:19:01,597 of Russia's invasion , we were working 540 00:19:01,597 --> 00:19:03,708 closely . And if you think about some 541 00:19:03,708 --> 00:19:06,140 of the things that have been , I think 542 00:19:06,150 --> 00:19:09,000 sources of great success in Ukraine's 543 00:19:09,010 --> 00:19:11,410 success in defending itself against 544 00:19:11,420 --> 00:19:15,150 this unjust illegal invasion . Um You 545 00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,359 see the the manifestation of that on , 546 00:19:17,369 --> 00:19:19,849 on the battlefield . Uh Some examples 547 00:19:19,859 --> 00:19:21,803 of that , that I would cite that I 548 00:19:21,803 --> 00:19:24,026 think are very important . The emphasis 549 00:19:24,026 --> 00:19:26,050 that we place on um on unit and 550 00:19:26,060 --> 00:19:28,930 tactical level leadership driven by non 551 00:19:28,939 --> 00:19:30,883 commissioned officers , ensues and 552 00:19:30,883 --> 00:19:32,883 enlisted professional development , 553 00:19:32,883 --> 00:19:35,349 that culture within the US military and 554 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:37,550 within many of our partners and allies 555 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:40,579 is not something that is , has been an 556 00:19:40,589 --> 00:19:43,189 aspect or strength within all countries . 557 00:19:43,199 --> 00:19:45,310 And I think it's something that we've 558 00:19:45,310 --> 00:19:47,477 shared . If you look at the small unit 559 00:19:47,477 --> 00:19:49,643 tactics and success within Ukraine , I 560 00:19:49,643 --> 00:19:51,755 think part of that is attributed back 561 00:19:51,755 --> 00:19:53,643 to much of the work that was done 562 00:19:53,643 --> 00:19:56,719 between Ukraine , California and other 563 00:19:56,729 --> 00:19:59,010 partners in the region . I'd also say 564 00:19:59,020 --> 00:20:01,849 that when we look at the US focus on 565 00:20:01,859 --> 00:20:04,081 building readiness and capabilities and 566 00:20:04,081 --> 00:20:06,081 the building blocks , how we manage 567 00:20:06,081 --> 00:20:08,248 training , whether this be army or air 568 00:20:08,248 --> 00:20:10,930 of individual , lower level collective 569 00:20:10,939 --> 00:20:13,369 and building that I think you can see 570 00:20:13,380 --> 00:20:15,602 the evidence that Ukraine has leveraged 571 00:20:15,602 --> 00:20:17,900 this to great effect against Russian 572 00:20:17,910 --> 00:20:21,079 forces . Similarly , I think that this 573 00:20:21,089 --> 00:20:23,500 is really supercharged the effort for 574 00:20:23,510 --> 00:20:25,750 the neighbor nations there both in 575 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:27,982 advance of the invasion . And certainly 576 00:20:27,982 --> 00:20:31,760 afterwards , we see a galvanizing of 577 00:20:31,780 --> 00:20:34,010 the relationships in NATO . And I think 578 00:20:34,020 --> 00:20:36,530 a galvanizing and the support across 579 00:20:36,540 --> 00:20:38,829 the state partnership program . One of 580 00:20:38,839 --> 00:20:40,950 the things that the state partnership 581 00:20:40,950 --> 00:20:42,895 uh program brings to the combatant 582 00:20:42,895 --> 00:20:44,839 commanders and dod writ large is a 583 00:20:44,839 --> 00:20:47,280 connection of not just these bilateral 584 00:20:47,290 --> 00:20:49,012 relationships but multilateral 585 00:20:49,012 --> 00:20:51,179 relationships . I say the multilateral 586 00:20:51,179 --> 00:20:53,390 because often if there is a um 587 00:20:53,579 --> 00:20:56,310 combatant command exercise or event or 588 00:20:56,319 --> 00:20:58,910 service component command uh event , 589 00:20:59,329 --> 00:21:01,107 the state partnership becomes a 590 00:21:01,107 --> 00:21:02,829 multiplier to , to bringing in 591 00:21:02,829 --> 00:21:04,885 additional partners and players from 592 00:21:04,885 --> 00:21:06,940 other nations who may have otherwise 593 00:21:06,940 --> 00:21:09,107 not been a part of that , the richness 594 00:21:09,107 --> 00:21:11,273 of growing those capabilities . Then I 595 00:21:11,273 --> 00:21:13,385 think it manifests in , in growth and 596 00:21:13,385 --> 00:21:15,609 capabilities on , on all sides . Uh One 597 00:21:15,619 --> 00:21:18,270 of the examples they often use . Um and 598 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:20,224 this is indirectly related to what 599 00:21:20,224 --> 00:21:22,336 we're talking about . We have a small 600 00:21:22,336 --> 00:21:24,558 state , uh Vermont that has three state 601 00:21:24,558 --> 00:21:26,780 partners , their oldest North Macedonia 602 00:21:26,780 --> 00:21:29,339 now celebrating 30 years , uh 15 year 603 00:21:29,349 --> 00:21:31,349 old relationship with the nation of 604 00:21:31,349 --> 00:21:33,460 Senegal and Africa and the first year 605 00:21:33,460 --> 00:21:36,160 relationship with Austria . Seeing now 606 00:21:36,170 --> 00:21:38,170 the interaction between those three 607 00:21:38,170 --> 00:21:40,420 nations , some of that which occurs 608 00:21:40,430 --> 00:21:42,597 completely out of the realm of what we 609 00:21:42,597 --> 00:21:44,597 do with state partnership becomes a 610 00:21:44,597 --> 00:21:46,819 multiplier for each of those partners . 611 00:21:46,819 --> 00:21:48,930 And we definitely see that in Eastern 612 00:21:48,930 --> 00:21:51,208 Europe Carlo . Thanks for the question . 613 00:21:51,819 --> 00:21:54,041 Do we have any uh questions here in the 614 00:21:54,041 --> 00:21:56,359 room or follow ups ? Ok . Thanks . Uh 615 00:21:56,369 --> 00:21:58,591 Just a quick follow up . Uh with regard 616 00:21:58,591 --> 00:22:01,319 to Ukraine has the partnership program 617 00:22:01,329 --> 00:22:03,719 been paused essentially since the 618 00:22:03,729 --> 00:22:05,785 Russian invasion . Are you providing 619 00:22:05,785 --> 00:22:08,189 any assistance , you know , remotely 620 00:22:08,209 --> 00:22:10,469 and then just kind of looking ahead , 621 00:22:10,479 --> 00:22:12,423 you know , long term assistance to 622 00:22:12,423 --> 00:22:14,201 Ukraine has been a big topic of 623 00:22:14,201 --> 00:22:16,423 discussion at the ongoing NATO summit . 624 00:22:16,423 --> 00:22:19,140 Are you looking to expand that 625 00:22:19,150 --> 00:22:21,579 relationship in the future specifically 626 00:22:21,589 --> 00:22:23,645 through this program or just through 627 00:22:23,645 --> 00:22:25,829 the guard writ large in terms of 628 00:22:25,839 --> 00:22:29,180 improving Ukraine's long term security 629 00:22:29,189 --> 00:22:31,356 posture ? Sure , John , I'll take that 630 00:22:31,356 --> 00:22:33,949 in two parts . First off , we've 631 00:22:33,959 --> 00:22:36,369 continued to do training and support 632 00:22:36,380 --> 00:22:38,599 both for Ukraine and other partners . 633 00:22:38,739 --> 00:22:41,260 Obviously , things have had to shift to 634 00:22:41,270 --> 00:22:43,381 areas where we could do that training 635 00:22:43,381 --> 00:22:46,310 safely . And I think as we look at 636 00:22:46,319 --> 00:22:48,152 equipment that's been fielded in 637 00:22:48,152 --> 00:22:50,208 support of Ukraine's efforts and not 638 00:22:50,208 --> 00:22:52,263 just equipment but capabilities that 639 00:22:52,263 --> 00:22:54,430 are needed to grow to support both the 640 00:22:54,430 --> 00:22:56,880 fight and then the support from nations 641 00:22:56,890 --> 00:22:59,569 we're helping with everything from 642 00:22:59,579 --> 00:23:01,599 logistics training , all the things 643 00:23:01,609 --> 00:23:03,720 that it takes to bring the capability 644 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:05,609 to be on the battlefield that has 645 00:23:05,609 --> 00:23:07,849 continued and will continue there . I 646 00:23:07,859 --> 00:23:10,630 think the , to me it seems that there 647 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:12,751 will be a growth in the demand signal 648 00:23:12,751 --> 00:23:14,973 from our partners in a number of ways . 649 00:23:14,973 --> 00:23:17,829 First off , our partners have paid a 650 00:23:17,839 --> 00:23:20,229 tremendous price in supporting and 651 00:23:20,239 --> 00:23:22,729 providing equipment . Um Much of the 652 00:23:22,739 --> 00:23:26,489 equipment that they had uh that was not 653 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:28,687 uh obviously backfilled or they didn't 654 00:23:28,687 --> 00:23:30,670 have ready backfill for types and 655 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,469 pieces of equipment . Uh that is going 656 00:23:33,479 --> 00:23:35,479 to have to be that demand signal is 657 00:23:35,479 --> 00:23:37,760 going to have to be met . So I think 658 00:23:37,770 --> 00:23:39,992 there will be new that there will be an 659 00:23:39,992 --> 00:23:43,280 opportunity . Uh the Guard Army and Air 660 00:23:43,339 --> 00:23:45,450 uh do an exceptional job of doing new 661 00:23:45,450 --> 00:23:47,617 equipment , training and new equipment 662 00:23:47,617 --> 00:23:49,617 fielding . It's kind of a bread and 663 00:23:49,617 --> 00:23:49,530 butter for something that happens 664 00:23:49,540 --> 00:23:51,729 across the 54 every day . And it's a 665 00:23:51,739 --> 00:23:54,020 logical expansion to help our partners 666 00:23:54,229 --> 00:23:56,900 uh as they field replacement equipment 667 00:23:57,810 --> 00:23:59,977 and train up in that . I think the two 668 00:23:59,977 --> 00:24:01,977 way street aspect of it , we always 669 00:24:01,977 --> 00:24:03,754 look at this as being kind of a 670 00:24:03,754 --> 00:24:05,810 shoulder to shoulder . We learn from 671 00:24:05,810 --> 00:24:07,921 our partners and they learn from us , 672 00:24:07,921 --> 00:24:09,921 we share best practices and I think 673 00:24:09,921 --> 00:24:11,977 this is an opportunity as we look to 674 00:24:11,977 --> 00:24:14,430 the future and hopefully at some point , 675 00:24:14,439 --> 00:24:16,606 peace in the region that there will be 676 00:24:16,606 --> 00:24:18,495 a reset that's needed for all the 677 00:24:18,495 --> 00:24:20,495 militaries who have done so much to 678 00:24:20,495 --> 00:24:22,383 support Ukraine . And indeed with 679 00:24:22,383 --> 00:24:24,383 Ukraine themselves . And I think we 680 00:24:24,383 --> 00:24:26,606 will be , you know , posture to be able 681 00:24:26,606 --> 00:24:28,661 to support that working very closely 682 00:24:28,661 --> 00:24:30,883 with the combatant commander and across 683 00:24:30,883 --> 00:24:32,939 the department . Thank you . We have 684 00:24:32,939 --> 00:24:35,161 time for one more question . Uh We have 685 00:24:35,161 --> 00:24:34,949 a virtual one in the queue . Uh We will 686 00:24:34,959 --> 00:24:37,292 go to Gina Cavallaro with army magazine . 687 00:24:38,439 --> 00:24:41,060 Thank you . Um Thanks General Zana for 688 00:24:41,069 --> 00:24:43,859 doing this . Um You said there were 689 00:24:43,869 --> 00:24:46,420 five nations added in the last year and 690 00:24:46,430 --> 00:24:49,180 that , that was uh the most uh a , a 691 00:24:49,189 --> 00:24:52,089 big year for adding nations . What do 692 00:24:52,099 --> 00:24:53,988 you see in the coming year or the 693 00:24:53,988 --> 00:24:56,369 coming five years ? And can you also um 694 00:24:56,380 --> 00:24:58,609 I guess in closing um for the 695 00:24:58,619 --> 00:25:01,800 uninitiated uh uh make a statement 696 00:25:01,810 --> 00:25:04,099 about why the National Guard is the 697 00:25:04,109 --> 00:25:07,459 right way for this program to continue . 698 00:25:09,260 --> 00:25:11,482 Thanks for the question . Um So , first 699 00:25:11,489 --> 00:25:13,378 off uh this year , the way things 700 00:25:13,378 --> 00:25:15,390 worked out to add three African 701 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:18,010 partners , uh Malawi and Zambia will be 702 00:25:18,020 --> 00:25:19,853 a combined partnership and we're 703 00:25:19,853 --> 00:25:21,964 currently evaluating the applications 704 00:25:21,964 --> 00:25:24,076 uh for multiple states who wish to uh 705 00:25:24,076 --> 00:25:27,150 to uh be a part of that . Uh Gabon and 706 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:29,216 another African nation which will be 707 00:25:29,216 --> 00:25:31,800 added . We added both Samoa uh to an 708 00:25:31,810 --> 00:25:34,599 existing partnership with um uh with 709 00:25:34,609 --> 00:25:36,776 Nevada and then Norway and Minnesota , 710 00:25:36,776 --> 00:25:38,887 I mentioned the formalization of this 711 00:25:38,887 --> 00:25:41,220 partnership that's existed for 50 years . 712 00:25:41,220 --> 00:25:43,387 If you look to the future , I think we 713 00:25:43,387 --> 00:25:45,498 look at uh the capacity to expand the 714 00:25:45,498 --> 00:25:47,665 program as being a couple of nations a 715 00:25:47,665 --> 00:25:49,776 year and I purposely don't , uh put a 716 00:25:49,776 --> 00:25:51,720 specific number on it because it's 717 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:53,942 dependent upon both what uh the nations 718 00:25:53,942 --> 00:25:56,109 request , the combatant commanders and 719 00:25:56,109 --> 00:25:58,331 Department of State support and then it 720 00:25:58,331 --> 00:26:00,442 is on , on funding . We don't want to 721 00:26:00,442 --> 00:26:02,665 spread ourselves so thin that we're not 722 00:26:02,665 --> 00:26:04,831 able to , I have the depth of the , of 723 00:26:04,831 --> 00:26:06,998 the training operations , exercise and 724 00:26:06,998 --> 00:26:08,998 exchanges that , that each of these 725 00:26:08,998 --> 00:26:10,887 partners deserve . And our uh the 726 00:26:10,887 --> 00:26:13,109 evolution of this , I think is going to 727 00:26:13,109 --> 00:26:12,780 continue . There will be some years 728 00:26:12,790 --> 00:26:15,349 where there'll be a slightly larger and 729 00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:17,560 a slightly less number . So I think 730 00:26:17,569 --> 00:26:20,229 over the , the five years , um we'll 731 00:26:20,239 --> 00:26:22,750 see that evolve the , the second part 732 00:26:22,760 --> 00:26:24,704 and I think the guard is , is just 733 00:26:24,704 --> 00:26:26,816 uniquely suited to this program . And 734 00:26:26,816 --> 00:26:29,038 there's a lot of different ways you can 735 00:26:29,038 --> 00:26:31,093 look at that uh first off uh citizen 736 00:26:31,093 --> 00:26:33,204 soldiers , uh this whole idea of , of 737 00:26:33,204 --> 00:26:35,316 having both civilian capabilities , a 738 00:26:35,316 --> 00:26:37,482 connection back to state and community 739 00:26:37,482 --> 00:26:39,538 and a community based force a lot of 740 00:26:39,538 --> 00:26:41,640 times with our partners , this is um 741 00:26:42,069 --> 00:26:43,958 this is a more approachable or an 742 00:26:43,958 --> 00:26:47,400 easier construct um for them to engage 743 00:26:47,410 --> 00:26:49,400 with . You often find that we have 744 00:26:49,410 --> 00:26:51,579 civilian skill sets across the guard . 745 00:26:51,589 --> 00:26:53,422 This is true for the rest of the 746 00:26:53,422 --> 00:26:55,200 reserve components and security 747 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:57,145 cooperation . But the guard really 748 00:26:57,145 --> 00:26:59,311 excels at this , those civilian skills 749 00:26:59,311 --> 00:27:01,478 which then translate to something that 750 00:27:01,478 --> 00:27:03,589 you can do on the ground . An example 751 00:27:03,589 --> 00:27:05,700 that I provided for a couple of years 752 00:27:05,700 --> 00:27:07,811 deployed in Africa . I saw there were 753 00:27:07,811 --> 00:27:10,033 often things that were asked for by our 754 00:27:10,033 --> 00:27:11,922 partners that weren't necessarily 755 00:27:11,922 --> 00:27:13,978 strictly a military capability , but 756 00:27:13,978 --> 00:27:16,219 there was a civilian experience that , 757 00:27:16,229 --> 00:27:18,451 that we could bring to bear to help the 758 00:27:18,451 --> 00:27:20,618 partner in that . So often as we start 759 00:27:20,618 --> 00:27:22,618 with a mill to mill engagement that 760 00:27:22,618 --> 00:27:24,673 expands into the whole of government 761 00:27:24,673 --> 00:27:26,673 and the whole of government part is 762 00:27:26,673 --> 00:27:28,896 really , I , I describe it as a special 763 00:27:28,896 --> 00:27:31,062 sauce for the uh for the program . You 764 00:27:31,062 --> 00:27:33,285 start having things like municipalities 765 00:27:33,285 --> 00:27:35,739 working um as sister cities and towns 766 00:27:35,750 --> 00:27:37,806 with one another . You look at state 767 00:27:37,806 --> 00:27:39,861 government doing engagements . We've 768 00:27:39,861 --> 00:27:41,972 had many foreign partners visiting uh 769 00:27:41,972 --> 00:27:43,750 their states . Uh and similarly 770 00:27:43,750 --> 00:27:45,750 governors and officials from states 771 00:27:45,750 --> 00:27:47,694 going to their state partners , uh 772 00:27:47,694 --> 00:27:49,639 academic to academic think tank to 773 00:27:49,639 --> 00:27:52,280 think tank , uh economic uh first 774 00:27:52,290 --> 00:27:54,401 responder , all of these things add a 775 00:27:54,401 --> 00:27:56,457 richness to this whole of government 776 00:27:56,457 --> 00:27:58,401 experience that I think the guards 777 00:27:58,401 --> 00:28:00,569 uniquely suited to , to fill . Uh when 778 00:28:00,579 --> 00:28:02,746 we see the very best of the programs , 779 00:28:02,746 --> 00:28:05,069 the programs that expand into this 780 00:28:05,079 --> 00:28:07,260 space in a way that is authentic to 781 00:28:07,270 --> 00:28:09,492 both the capabilities and needs of both 782 00:28:09,492 --> 00:28:11,714 the state and the nation . There's just 783 00:28:11,714 --> 00:28:13,937 this richness in this relationship that 784 00:28:13,937 --> 00:28:15,659 occurs and then it's where the 785 00:28:15,659 --> 00:28:17,714 imaginations go . And typically , um 786 00:28:17,714 --> 00:28:19,881 these things are , are not things that 787 00:28:19,881 --> 00:28:21,603 um that we're funding from the 788 00:28:21,603 --> 00:28:23,492 Department of Defense . They're , 789 00:28:23,492 --> 00:28:25,548 they're a bonus that starts building 790 00:28:25,548 --> 00:28:27,492 trust and confidence and deepening 791 00:28:27,492 --> 00:28:29,659 those roots when I look at some of the 792 00:28:29,659 --> 00:28:32,170 pairings and I saw this uh both in , in 793 00:28:32,180 --> 00:28:36,140 uh deployments uh within the Centcom uh 794 00:28:36,150 --> 00:28:40,040 UAR and , and with a Aor , you 795 00:28:40,050 --> 00:28:42,900 see that there are um relationships 796 00:28:42,910 --> 00:28:45,132 between a state and a nation that start 797 00:28:45,132 --> 00:28:48,079 building um an understanding that our 798 00:28:48,089 --> 00:28:51,390 nations and our states uh have so much 799 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:53,567 in common in terms of their desire for 800 00:28:53,567 --> 00:28:55,949 having peace and security opportunities 801 00:28:55,959 --> 00:28:58,869 for prosperity , the opportunities to 802 00:28:58,880 --> 00:29:01,530 um to educate and , and have safety for 803 00:29:01,540 --> 00:29:03,930 families . When we get folks together 804 00:29:03,939 --> 00:29:06,329 from both sides of this equation , we 805 00:29:06,339 --> 00:29:09,160 often see that we're far more alike and 806 00:29:09,170 --> 00:29:11,680 we have so much in shared values . Uh 807 00:29:11,689 --> 00:29:13,911 That is one of those things that really 808 00:29:13,911 --> 00:29:15,967 goes to building trust . And I think 809 00:29:16,010 --> 00:29:19,209 building a warmth that exists in so 810 00:29:19,219 --> 00:29:21,275 many of these relationships and just 811 00:29:21,275 --> 00:29:23,441 something that the Guard does well and 812 00:29:23,441 --> 00:29:25,663 our nation partners really respond well 813 00:29:25,663 --> 00:29:27,830 to . Thanks for the question , right . 814 00:29:27,830 --> 00:29:29,997 Thank you General and thank you to all 815 00:29:29,997 --> 00:29:31,830 those in the room and online for 816 00:29:31,830 --> 00:29:33,997 joining us today . Please feel free to 817 00:29:33,997 --> 00:29:35,830 send additional questions to the 818 00:29:35,830 --> 00:29:38,052 National Guard Bureau media desk and we 819 00:29:38,052 --> 00:29:37,300 will follow up on those and any taking 820 00:29:37,310 --> 00:29:39,421 questions as soon as possible . Thank 821 00:29:39,421 --> 00:29:43,369 you . So , is there ever 822 00:29:43,380 --> 00:29:43,959 going to be