The National Guard State Partnership Program: Strengthening U.S. Security, One Partnership at a Time

House Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs

2025-06-25

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Source: Congress.gov

Summary

This meeting of the Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs convened to discuss the National Guard's State Partnership Program (SPP), highlighting its global impact, strategic importance, and potential for growth and improvement [ 00:18:07-00:18:25 ] . Witnesses provided overviews of the program's history, successes, and future direction, emphasizing its role in fostering international relationships and enhancing military readiness [ 00:18:33-00:18:43 ] . The discussion also touched upon the program's resource allocation and addressed past oversight concerns [ 00:18:52-00:18:59 ] .

Themes

Importance and Effectiveness of the State Partnership Program

The State Partnership Program is recognized as a highly effective tool of soft power and a critical component of U.S. national security [ 00:18:25 ] [ 00:20:29 ] . It fosters close military relationships with foreign nations and allies, contributing to deterrence, enhancing allied interoperability, and promoting regional stability [ 00:18:43 ] . Speakers underscored its cost-effectiveness, noting that it accounts for a significant portion of engagements with partners and allies despite a small budget [ 00:19:19 ] . The program's success is attributed to its ability to build enduring relationships based on mutual benefit and shared understanding .

Evolution, Growth, and Strategic Alignment

Since its inception in 1993, the SPP has grown significantly from a post-Cold War initiative to include 115 partner nations across all geographic combatant commands [ 00:18:33 ] . The program actively aligns with the administration's national security priorities, including the Defense Department's interim national defense strategic guidance [ 00:19:10 ] . There is a recognized appetite for continued growth, with recent additions of eight new partner nations and a rigorous process for pairing states with countries based on strategic needs and capabilities .

Addressing Modern Security Challenges and Interoperability

The SPP extends beyond traditional military training, encompassing a broad range of security challenges such as disaster response, border security, cyber defense, counterterrorism, and mountain warfare [ 00:20:47 ] . Partnerships like Virginia's with Finland focus on cutting-edge areas like cyber threats and cold weather tactics, reflecting the changing nature of warfare [ 00:21:02-00:21:11 ]

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[ 00:48:10 ]

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. The program also emphasizes building interoperability and supporting shared responsibility among allies to address global security threats .

Budget, Resource Allocation, and Oversight

The program's total operating budget for 2025 is approximately $55 million, enabling over 1,000 engagements . Despite its impact, the SPP's budget is only about 1% of the overall defense security cooperation budget [ 00:19:19 ] . Congress expressed interest in enhanced funding and ensuring the program remains a responsible and effective beneficiary of taxpayer dollars [ 00:19:31 ] . Efforts have been made to resolve issues identified in a 2022 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report regarding tracking activities and clarifying legal authorities, with improvements in reporting and training [ 00:18:57 ] . The need for predictable funding was also highlighted as crucial for effective planning and execution of engagements [ 01:19:52-01:19:57 ]

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.

Specific Partnership Examples and Benefits

The South Carolina-Colombia partnership, established in 2012, exemplifies the program's success, focusing on regional stability, countering transnational criminal organizations, and maintaining strategic access . This partnership has significantly increased Colombia's helicopter aviation readiness from 20% to 60% through targeted engagements . The Virginia National Guard's partnerships with Tajikistan and Finland have similarly fostered expertise in counterterrorism, emergency response, mountain warfare, and cyber defense [ 00:20:54-00:21:11 ]

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. These collaborations provide invaluable career-enhancing opportunities and real-world training for National Guard soldiers and airmen .

Concerns and Critiques Regarding SPP and National Guard Deployment

Concerns were raised about the possibility of training provided through the SPP inadvertently contributing to military coups in some partner nations, particularly in Africa . While acknowledging these events, it was noted that the SPP is only one tool among many, and not the sole factor in regional instability . Separately, significant political discussion arose regarding presidential authority to deploy the National Guard without state or congressional consent, drawing parallels to recent events in California and military operations abroad . This highlighted fundamental disagreements on the use of military forces in domestic and international contexts.

Tone of the Meeting

The meeting began with an informative and collaborative tone, with opening statements from subcommittee members and witnesses highlighting the successes and importance of the State Partnership Program [ 00:18:07-00:19:42 ] [ 00:19:58-00:21:21 ] . However, during the question-and-answer session, the tone became contentious as members introduced broader political critiques unrelated to the SPP, leading to heated exchanges and debates about presidential authority, military deployments, and inter-branch communication . Despite these disruptions, the witnesses maintained a professional and informative demeanor when addressing questions directly related to the SPP .

Participants

Transcript

This hearing of the Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs will come to order.  Welcome, everyone.  Without objection, the chair may declare a recess at any time.  I recognize myself for the purpose of making an opening statement.   Good afternoon, thank you for joining us today to discuss one of the Department of Defense's most effective, yet often overlooked, tools of soft power, the National Guard's State Partnership Program, or SPP.  Since its founding in 1993 as a post-Cold War initiative, the SPP has been instrumental in fostering close military relationships with foreign nations and allies all around the world.   Currently, the program boasts over 100 participants throughout every geographic combatant command, from 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.   It is my hope that this hearing will demonstrate the global impact of this essential program and to provide subcommittee members the opportunity to have any questions or concerns answered by the subject matter experts we have before us today.  However, as with most defense programs, this program also brings complexity and the opportunity for waste, fraud, and abuse.   A 2022 Government Accountability Office report found that DOD and the National Guard Bureau face serious challenges in tracking completed activities and clarifying legal authorities to partner nations.  While the committee has been assured that these issues have since been resolved and that the department has satisfied all GAO's recommendations, I'm curious about ways Congress can help continue the success of this program and help prevent any future issues.   Additionally, I'm curious to hear from our witnesses how these valuable partnerships stay aligned with the administration's national security priorities, as well as how successful outcomes are tracked and measured.  Finally, we must assess the resources that are provided to the program.  Currently, the SPP's 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.
It 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.  I look forward to hearing from the witnesses today and I want to thank them again for appearing before us.  I now recognize ranking members Supermonium for the purpose of making an opening statement.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I appreciate all the witnesses for coming today.  Thank you for being here.  The National Guard is a unique branch of the U.S.  military with dual state and federal missions.  And I've had the pleasure of working with the Virginia National Guard in my time serving in Richmond and here in Congress, and I appreciate the great work that they do to protect our Commonwealth as well as the nation.   And the state partnership program is a critical component of the Guard's global military readiness and America's partnerships around the world.  And for more than three decades, the program has built relationships between the National Guard of every state territory in DC and 100 nations on every continent.  It may even be more now.  And these partnerships support joint training exercises and disaster response.   humanitarian aid, counterterrorism, and counter trafficking activities, and much more.  And the Virginia National Guard currently maintains two relationships under the SPP.  One is with Tajikistan since 2003.  Tajikistan is a former Soviet republic, and the partnership has helped both sides develop counterterrorism, emergency response, and mountain warfare expertise as well, which has been critical.  And last year, Virginia also finalized a second partnership with Finland.   This builds upon a longstanding relationship between Finland and Virginia.  Our troops served alongside each other in Bosnia in 2001 to 2002, and under this new partnership, we are focused on cyber threats, cold weather tactics, and much more, although we won't need those tactics in this weather today.   But this program is an important component in America's diplomatic efforts, and these relationships have proven crucial in improving cybersecurity, disaster response, and even the war in Ukraine as well.  And so I want to thank our Virginia National Guard as well as the National Guard around the country and thank the witnesses for being here today.  I look forward to today's testimony as we look for how we can be helpful in Congress to the National Guard and to the SPP program.  Thank you.  I yield back.
Thank you.  I'm pleased to welcome an expert panel of witnesses for today's discussion.  I'd first like to welcome Mr. Christopher Momoe, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Partnerships at the Department of Defense.  Secondly, I'd like to welcome Major General William Edwards, the Director of Strategic Plans and Policy and International Affairs with the National Guard Bureau.  Lastly, I'd like to welcome Major General Robin Stilwell, the Adjutant General of the National Guard in my home state of South Carolina.  A special thank you, General, for being here today.   Pursuant to Committee Rule 9G, the witness will please stand and raise their right hand.  Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the testimony that you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?  I do.  Thank you.  Let the record show that the witness answered in the affirmative.

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