Ohio National Guard State Partnership Program
State Partnership celebrates first anniversary |
Photos by Staff Sgt. Kimberly Snow, adjutant general’s department The recent Ohio National Guard visit to Serbia marks one year of successful cooperation and joint training as part of the State Partnership Program. The members of the Ohio National Guard delegation consisted of 39 officers, noncommissioned officers and civilians, who paid a visit to our armed forces from Sept. 15 to 22, 2007. The delegation, led by Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Gregory L. Wayt, divided into six teams (Air Force, Joint Task Force, Special Forces, public relations, medical and noncommissioned officers). The itinerary was developed around training these special teams together, a concept that will continue during future exercises as part of the Serbia-Ohio military cooperation. The Ohio National Guard's visit was part of the State Partnership Plan within the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed on Sept. 7, 2006, by Serbian President Boris Tadic and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The September visit marks one year of successful cooperation efforts, which included 21 activities, both in Serbia and Ohio. Our Ohio counterparts held our Army in high esteem, as evident when our team assisted with the planning of the joint exercise held in Ohio in June of this year. The latest activity, the largest and widest in scope so far, continued the education and training initiated a year ago in order to establish and uphold cooperation between the countries, with the goal of sharing of experiences of American forces and our observations of their operations. In turn, this effort will better prepare the Serbian armed forces for joint operations, exercises and peace missions with other armies of the world. During the visit of the Ohio National Guard to the Serbian Armed Forces, both groups formed teams for joint training. The Airmen worked at Batajnica and Ladjevci air bases, the Joint Task Force team worked with the Joint Operations Command of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff (SAF GS), while the members of Special Forces worked with the parachutist batallion. The Public Relations Department of the Serbian Ministry of Defense hosted the representatives of the Ohio National Guard Government and Public Affairs Department, while the medical team visited the Military Medical Academy, as well as the military hospitals in Novi Sad and Nis. Furthermore, the team of noncommissioned officers shared their experiences with regards to each army's NCO corps structure and roles and responsibilities, as these are some of the current issues facing our armed forces. The delegation of Ohio National Guard Airmen, led by Lt.Col. Greg Schnulo, visited the Air Force Command as well as the 204th and 98th aviation bases and airfields in Batajnica and Ladjevci. The discussion topics centered around air craft maintenance and air crew training programs. In addition, they discussed the function of communication units, fire protection teams and other important functions for safe working conditions. The visitors saw the hangars and aircraft platforms, while in Ladjevci they had the opportunity to observe the flight and parachutist jump simulators. The American delegation also included the Joint Task Force team (JTF 73) led by the Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Jack Lee. Lee and his co-workers visited the Land Forces Command, the Third Brigade and the Center for Peace Operations. In the Joint Operations Command of SAF GS, the guests briefed their Serbian counterparts on how they conduct their missions and organize quick response task forces to support civil authorities in the event of natural disasters and accidents. The team provided concrete examples of their support in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They demonstrated how they addressed the problem using the U.S. Army's military decision-making process, focusing predominantly on the roles and tasks of the staff officers, while placing special emphasis on the position and the role of NCOs. The American team met the SAF GS Joint Operations Command and learned about its tasks and functions. The team also attended the headquarters war drill, which was conducted according to the new guidelines for operation planning. RECEPTION BY THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac received Wayt and the Ohio National Guard delegation. The U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Cameron Munter also attended the meeting. Sutanovac and Wayt discussed the bilateral military cooperation between Serbia and the United States, agreeing that the emphasis should be on the education of our military officers. Both sides agreed that good cooperation between Serbia and the United States contributes to overall positive relations between both nations. The Ohio Special Forces team, led by Maj. Larry Henry, conducted parachutist, fire fighting, outdoor survival and search and rescue training with Serbia's 63rd parachutist Battalion. As a result, both sides observed aspects of training that could be beneficial and applicable in the two armies. The Special Forces joint training demonstration on Sept. 20 at Nis Air Base was the closing event of the Ohio National Guard’s visit to Serbia, attended by Munter, Wayt, Tadic, Sutanovac and Lt. Col. Gen. Zdravko Ponos, the Chief of Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, and his associates. The Ohio National Guard's Director of Government and Public Affairs, Mark Wayda, Ph.D., and his co-workers visited the MoD Public Relations Department (PRD). After the guests received an overview of the organization and roles of the Serbian MoD PRD, the talks focused on possibilities for promoting the cooperation between the two departments and on concrete projects that could inform the public in both countries on the progress of the State Partnership Program. The PRD delegations pointed out a strong need for a more intensive sharing of information as well as developing video and photo materials on activities conducted. Furthermore, they discussed future involvement of PRD members into working teams to create and conduct certain public relations-related activities that would contribute to better information sharing and training of the members of both services. Wayda and his associates visited the Odbrana Publishing Center and Zastava Military Film Center, where discussions focused on the need to share experiences and information via web sites, newspapers and other public information media. JOINT EXERCISE OF THE SPECIAL FORCES The joint training exercise was conducted at Nis Air Base Sept. 16 to 19, 2007, with 34 members of the SAF 63rd Parachutist Battalion and 17 Ohio National Guard members. During the training sessions the Nis battalion paratroopers explained to their Ohio colleagues the operation of personal weapons, after which they performed a firing exercise with automatic rifles and pistols. They also performed a static-line jump and exchanged information on survival and search and rescue techniques. The members of the Serbian 63rd Parachutist Battalion received accolades from its Ohio National Guard counterparts on their professionalism and exemplary execution of the training. On Sept. 20, 2007, the members of the Serbian Armed Forces' 63rd Parachutist Battalion and the Ohio National Guard’s Special Forces demonstrated joint tactical activities at the Nis air field. The training of Special Forces at the parachutist training ground, the outdoor survival techniques and search and rescue procedures were closely observed by Sutanovac, Munter, Ponos, Wayt and other guests. In his address to the press following the exercise, Ponos announced that these activities would continue in the following year. "The Ohio-Serbia State Partnership Program started a year ago, and to date Serbian Armed Forces and the Ohio National Guard have realized a total of 21 activities: the exchange of small units, the development of the NCO corps and the organization of the reserve corps," Ponos said, reminding the guests that the first exercise was carried out in Ohio in June this year with 16 SAF members. On this occasion, Ponos reiterated that there was another Serbia-American Agreement within International Military Education and Training Program, which focused on education and training, and, that during previous months, 20 members of our armed forces had been educated and trained in the United States. "Our idea was to continue with the exchange of small units next year, while at the same time connecting similar establishments such as Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Warfare and similar units within the State Partnership Program with Ohio," Ponos emphasized. "This year we have done so much more than other countries have done within their respective state partnership programs." Wayt thanked his hosts for their hospitality with the following words: "When we first started with this Program, General Ponos and I set a goal - to make this partnership the best of all 56 partnerships the U.S. has established with other countries. Now we can safely say that no other country has had such a scope of activities as Ohio has conducted with Serbia. At this moment, the members of the Ohio National Guard are at the Nis Air Base, where they are exchanging experiences with the members of Serbian 63rd Parachutist Battalion and studying from each other. And this is what we have actually done this year - we have studied from each other. I have taken 38 co-workers with me, who have shared their skills and knowledge in the fields of medical care, public relations and the work of Joint Operations Group, while making a plan of activities for the next year." "This has truly been a historic week, and I'm really proud of it," Wayt continued. "I am proud of what we have achieved this year in the domain of units exchange and the overall State Partnership Program. In the previous year we forged so many friendships, which will last for a life time, just like me and General Ponos have become close friends." |
