Photo By 1st Lt. Jonathan Padish | Military personnel supporting Innovative Readiness Training mission IRT Hoosier Care...... read more read more
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Airmen from the Indiana Air National Guard hosted their Slovak Armed Forces Military Medical Command counterparts at a site visit to the Innovative Readiness Training mission IRT Hoosier Care June 7 in Terre Haute, Indiana.
The visit was part of continuing interactions to further enhance military relations between Indiana and its National Guard State Partnership Program partner, the Slovak Republic.
Through the SPP, the National Guard conducts military-to-military engagements in support of 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.
“Our partnership is nearly 30 years old,” said Air Force Capt. Nathaniel Lanaghan, the strategic plans officer for the Indiana Air National Guard. “It is very strong.”
For example, the mission leadership for IRT Hoosier Care – a domestic operations mission led by the 181st Intelligence Wing to establish and operate contingency medical, dental, vision and other healthcare clinics while providing real-world training to service members and affording no-cost services to local communities – showcased to Slovak Armed Forces leadership the operational medical capabilities of Indiana Air National Guard and Active Duty Air Force, Air National Guard and Army units.
“This has been a good opportunity for Slovak Military Medical Command to see our capabilities across the state while building our partnership and engaging in training,” said Lanaghan.
The IRT Hoosier Care mission could also serve as a blueprint for future training exercises between the Indiana Air National Guard and Slovak Armed Forces.
According to Air Force Lt. Col. Andrew Powell, the residency-trained flight surgeon and anesthesiologist for the 181st Medical Group, missions like IRT Hoosier Care could serve as a template for future medical training exercises with strategic partners.
Indeed, the possibility of future exercises is critical to strategic partnerships like the one between Indiana and the Slovak Republic.
“It’s all about networking,” said Powell. “It’s about building those one-on-one relationships.”
In particular, National Guard soldiers and airmen typically do not change duty locations and hold their positions longer than their Activity Duty counterparts, and the resulting continuity of operations within National Guard units makes them well-positioned to further the SPP’s strategic relationships.
“Those relationships don’t just happen overnight,” said Powell. “You have to build that trust through a long-term, continuous relationship, and the Guard is uniquely situated to build those relationships because people tend to stay in the Guard for the long term.”
Located at Hulman Field Air National Guard Base in Terre Haute, Indiana, the 181st IW provides globally integrated intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to military and national leaders as well as domestic operations like IRT Hoosier Care in support of the state and nation.
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2023 15:09 |
| Story ID: | 446699 |
| Location: | TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA, US |
| Hometown: | BRATISLAVA, SK |
| Hometown: | INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, US |
| Hometown: | TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 197 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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