Photo By Maj. Leslie Reed | Oregon Air National Guard, Maj. Angie Hayes, the incoming Bilateral Affairs Officer,...... read more read more
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SALEM, Ore. – The State Partnership Program has been described as “one of the best kept secrets” within the Department of Defense and the National Guard. The prospect to travel and work with nearly 100 other nations, in every part of the world can be exhilarating yet laden with language barriers and cultural differences. Within these nation-state challenges, having a healthy dose of enthusiasm is a key element for the constant tasks of the SPP mission – a trait that Maj. Angie Hayes has naturally displayed during the course of her Air Force career. When the opportunity to become the Bilateral Affairs Officer for Vietnam was made available, Hayes jumped at the chance to live abroad and serve her country at the same time.
“This is something I always wanted to do,” Hayes said, describing a life-long career goal in the days leading up to her departure to Vietnam. “Now that I am about to leave, I can’t believe how fast the last year has gone.”
A New Military Adventure
It all started for Hayes just over two years ago, when she attended the 2022 annual A-1 workshop and one of the presentations was given by Oregon National Guard SPP Director Lt. Col. Christopher Markesino. She recalls how he described the entire SPP program and remarked on the BAO position, “Oh yeah and we have this really cool opportunity where Oregon National Guardsmen go over to these countries to work and live there.” With that she said, “I remember being on the edge of my seat and listening, but then he said – these positions are just Army funded resources in Oregon.”
Hayes had just transferred from the 142nd Wing’s Force Support Squadron in Portland, taking on the job as the Oregon Air National Guard Joint Forces Headquarters A-1 director in Salem. “Colonel Kosdera (Joint Forces Headquarters - Air Component Chief of Staff) was my boss at the time and he asked me, “What are the things you want to do in your career? I was still new in the job but I told him for my next job, I intend to apply for any overseas assignments that are available.”
As it turned out a month later Hayes discovered she was closer to her revelation than she thought.
“He told me…here is this job,” she said, recalling how Kosdera had new information about Air Force members now being able to apply for the Oregon National Guard, State Partnership Program Bilateral Affairs Officer overseas positions in our partner nations. “This was the first year Oregon opened it up to let Air Force [members] apply.”
The position became available with a ‘Swap’ with the Wisconsin National Guard through an agreement with the Oregon National Guard. Wisconsin will now pick up Oregon’s Army designate and will be sending them to their State Partnership nation of Papua New Guinea as Hayes picks up the Air Force duty position, a first for the Oregon National Guard.
In looking back, Hayes said that having prior knowledge of the program from that simple SPP orientation brief made it easier to take the leap and apply. “I never thought I would have the chance, but it was an easier decision having some familiarity with the role in the State Partnership Program. I don’t think a lot of our Air Force members knew about it or had that familiarity since it had only been offered to the Army before this year.”
The select opportunity to serve as the Bilateral Affairs Officer for the Office of Defense Cooperation, U.S. Embassy in Hanoi is not lost on Hayes. After a break from active duty military service, where she served from 2008 to 2013 at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, she joined the Oregon Air National Guard in October of 2018. A native Oregonian, she grew up in Lincoln City, Oregon, but chose to attend college out of state at the University of Wyoming, in Cheyenne, where she eventually enrolled in the school’s ROTC program, graduating with a degree in criminal justice.
“Growing up in a tourist town, I knew I needed to break free of the ‘beach-life’ mindset, and decided to attend college in Wyoming,” recalling her choice in pursuing higher education. This sense of wonderment fueled Hayes’ desire to return to the military after her two children had started to grow up and the family was settled again in Oregon in 2017. “When I joined the guard I didn’t know about Technician employment or the jobs in the AGR program. Like many who join the guard, I started off as a traditional guardsman, then got hired as a technician before converting recently to an AGR position. It really has been a rewarding learning experience.”
Her foremost deployment prior to her appointment as the Bilateral Affairs Officer was to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware when serving on active duty. The mission left an enduring impression, Hayes recalls, “Where the professionalism of armed services is given through honor, dignity and respect to the fallen Department of Defense service member while also providing compassionate care, service and support to the family members.”
Having been in the Force Support career field her entire career, Hayes said the experience was a “huge opportunity to branch out from what I already know, and develop new skills while connecting it to bigger concepts of how we in the Air Force supports the joint fight.”
Vietnam Mission
Leading up to her departure to Vietnam, Hayes has already made three trips to prepare for on-going missions. She was part of the Pacific Partnership last summer working on the Humanitarian Assistance Disaster response team working together on a CERFP exercise at Phu Yen along the coastline.
“It’s a beautiful area, and I was there for two weeks. I participated in the 2020 wildfires in the Pacific Northwest case study leveraging lessons learned during my experience responding with the Fatality Search and Recovery Team to augment the state’s mobile morgue.”
Hayes also attended the Security Cooperation Operations course at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The two month course provides instruction on how the office supports activities undertaken by the Department of Defense to encourage and enable international partners to work with the U.S. to achieve strategic objectives. The State Partnership Program is a security cooperation program of the DoD. It builds enduring partnerships with partner nations through capacity building, increasing interoperability and enhancing U.S. relations. The Bilateral Affairs Officer is assigned to the U.S. Embassy’s Security Cooperation Office. The overall goal is to strengthen American relationships with allies and partners – a key priority in our nation’s security strategy.
“Oregon’s Guardsmen work on the cooperation end of the spectrum doing these critical military to military engagements. This includes leading DMEA (Disaster Management Engagement Activity), supporting U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Pacific Partnership, cybersecurity capability development, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal training. Recently, one of the long term medical goals was completed with the establishment of Vietnam’s own ITLS (International Trauma Life Support) chapter with the help of Lt. Col. Christopher Webb [142nd Wing Medical Group].”
Hayes describes the ITLS chapter in Vietnam as the ideal security cooperation success. “It started with training the partner on deployment requirements for their United Nations Peacekeeping Operations mission in South Sudan. Then, worked through phases to train Vietnamese instructors to teach ITLS and finally produce an officially-recognized ITLS training chapter. Now, Vietnam has the capability to train their members to meet their deployment requirement.”
“What I am excited to learn the most are the key elements that hold true and the areas of cooperation that are mutually beneficial across the two cultures. But I also know there will be quite a few moments where I will see things from a completely new point of view or a different angle.”
Another benefit of this assignment is taking her family with her, which also includes her husband and two children who will attend an international school in Vietnam.
“They have had a year to think about this assignment and living out of the country for two years so this should be an adventure for the whole family.
Arrival In Country
Now two months after arriving in the country, Hayes describes her daily encounters with some degree of ‘regularity’ starting to take shape. “Like living anywhere, there are good days and others that are challenging,” she said. “The kids are settling into school, making new friends, and we have been shopping in some of the local markets too – if we can carry it.”
Working in the Office of Defense Cooperation, she is partnered with a diversity of staff, joint military, civilian, and locals, supporting a variety of activities.
“This job requires a need to always be thinking ahead,” Hayes said, describing upcoming training and engagement exercises. “I will be the Embassy representative attending a cybersecurity course closing dinner hosted by the partner. I have ongoing meetings for Pacific Partnership, which is the Navy's largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission I am providing in-country support for, and then have oversight for the ongoing Humanitarian Assistance Program EOD course. I am constantly meeting with a variety of new people who support these programs to keep coordination and strong communication for successful engagements.”
One of the war legacy efforts is working together to responsibly address unexploded ordnance. Since 1993, the U.S. government has contributed more than $206 million for UXO efforts. The U.S. Army Pacific Command funds an International Mine Action Standard EOD train-the-trainer program to develop a self-sufficient program. This involves American EOD technicians supporting in an advisory capacity.
“A group of active duty and Alaskan Guard members had just recently completed a ‘train-the-trainer’ course. They are working in four very specific regions of the country, one being Quang Tri Province,” she said.
On the horizon Hayes said the Cyber Working Group will soon be taking place, which will involve working with the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) and Vietnam’s Cyber Command. “This is an effort that the Oregon National Guard SPP will be supporting.”
As demanding as the job can be, Hayes said that this experience will be something that helps mold her career.
“General [Jenifer] Pardy (Assistant Adjutant General) has been a huge advocate for both the Army and Air to be able to take on this job in the future. I know that this will allow me to grow into future leadership roles in the Oregon National Guard. This role of working in a strategic environment as part of a joint team while operating in an international environment is really a once-in-a-life opportunity.”
| Date Taken: | 10.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.23.2024 14:46 |
| Story ID: | 483778 |
| Location: | SALEM, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 293 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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