Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Michael Davis | Maj. Gen. Timothy E. Gowen, adjutant general of Maryland, hosted a senior leader...... read more read more
Senior leaders and staff of the Maryland National Guard assembled Feb 1 at the Dundalk Readiness Center to hear from key speakers on the importance of European security cooperation and its direct connection to the State Partnership Program.
Hosted by Army Maj. Gen. Timothy E. Gowen, adjutant general for Maryland, the seminar’s focus was primarily on the longstanding, continuous relationships between the Maryland National Guard, Estonia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Gowen kicked off the seminar by describing how the SPP relationships were a part of an initial outreach by the U.S. toward new democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
The SPP enables the state of Maryland, not just the Maryland National Guard, to come together with Estonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina through a range of military and civil-military activities.
“Last year, we conducted 84 combined SPP engagements with our partners,” Gowen said. “I intend to see that number grow, placing emphasis on strategic initiatives that are mutually beneficial and support our common goals.”
Maryland has a key role in the international civil and military cooperation initiatives, which fosters democracy and encourages positive growth on market economies while further promoting regional security cooperation and stability.
In 2017, Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford led a trade mission to Estonia concentrating efforts on e-government and cyber security. The focus was primarily on governmental information and communication technologies resources to increase efficiency, transparency, and citizen participation.
This past August, Estonia also reaffirmed an agreement involving sister-state relationships with various cities in both Maryland and Estonia such as Maryland and Harju County, Annapolis and Tallinn, Westminster and Paide, and Salisbury and Tartu.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan says these agreements represent shared commitments to the rule of law, continued focus on the important partnerships, and strategic cooperation on defense and economic development.
During the seminar, Estonian Ambassador Jonatan Vseviov emphasized the strong relationship with Maryland describing it as more than just a relationship, but a deep friendship.
“Marylanders are always the consistent face when we need advice or assistance,” said Vseviov. “Whenever we have major challenges, we know that we can always count on our Maryland friends.”
Laura K. Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia, and Western Balkans, also spoke to Md. Guard senior leaders at the seminar explaining how the MDNG SPP is connected to the National Defense Strategy.
“Every day, what you are doing with the SPP directly supports our NDS,” Cooper said. “SPP is a fantastic tool to use in building partnerships and attracting new alliances.”
Cooper also described significant challenges with false narratives from competitors and adversaries who threaten the integrity of strong initiatives and developments between U.S. partners and allies. She discussed the need for strong public affairs systems to help combat those false narratives and said the SPP can be a catalyst for ensuring our audiences are seeing the true value in these partnerships.
“You are the antidote to the false narratives,” Cooper said waving across the room. “The people in the regions need to know that and see that, and that’s where you come in.”
Copper also listed major opportunities for the MDNG to focus SPP efforts, specifically with the Armed Forces of Bosnia-Herzegovina, such as cooperative national disaster response, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity. She encouraged using the US-Adriatic Charter, or “A5”, for which Bosnia-Herzegovina is a member, as a means for coming together to discuss regional and international security cooperation.
This past April, the MDNG hosted the Adriatic 5+ Cyber Forum to share the latest in cybersecurity, establish common terms and vocabulary, and build out a plan to develop the Adriatic Charter countries’ cyber capabilities. During the A5 event, Col. John Harris, deputy director of the Joint Cyber Center, said he was looking to build capacity and interoperability and wanted to leverage the cyber forum.
“SPP is the engine of new ideas to look at larger assistance efforts,” said Cooper. “You are the glue that holds the program together.”
Other speakers at the seminar included Mr. Michael Allison, principle deputy national intelligence officer for military issues, and Ambassador Kurt Volker, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO.
The MDNG continues their enduring partnerships with Estonia, since 1993, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, since 2003. The MDNG will lead a significant presence in Estonia this May during exercise Saber Strike, an annual combined-joint exercise conducted at various locations throughout Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland consisting of about 18,000 participants from about 19 different countries. The combined training prepares allies and partners to respond more to regional crises and meet their own security needs by improving the security of borders and countering threats.
| Date Taken: | 02.04.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2020 12:16 |
| Story ID: | 361648 |
| Location: | DUNDALK, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 101 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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