LINCOLN, Neb. – Thirty years after they have been first matched as one of the unique – and most unusual – collaborations throughout the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, members of the Czech Armed Forces and representatives from the Nebraska and Texas National Guard celebrated their ongoing partnership throughout a virtually-weeklong celebration in Lincoln, Nebraska, Aug. 23-27, 2023.

Taking place in the course of the Guardians of Freedom Airshow almost 100 Czech dignitaries representing the Czech Armed Forces, Czech Ministry of Defense, the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Czech Senate spent 5 days taking part in quite a few ceremonies, live shows, demonstrations and conferences designed to not solely celebrate 30 years of collaboration, however to additionally set the longer term for a partnership that’s nonetheless the one one within the National Guard’s State Partnership Program (SPP) matching a single nation’s navy with two taking part state National Guard organizations.

The SPP developed from a 1991 U.S. European Command determination to arrange the Joint Contact Team Program within the Baltic Region with Reserve element Soldiers and Airmen. A subsequent National Guard Bureau proposal paired U.S. states with three nations rising from the previous Soviet Bloc and the SPP was born, changing into a key U.S. safety cooperation device, facilitating cooperation throughout all elements of worldwide civil-navy affairs and inspiring folks-to-folks ties on the state stage.

Through SPP, the National Guard conducts navy-to-navy engagements in help of protection safety objectives but in addition leverages complete-of-society relationships and capabilities to facilitate broader interagency and corollary engagements spanning navy, authorities, financial and social spheres.

Today, there are greater than 88 partnerships with 100 nations across the globe.

According to the senior leaders of all three organizations, the partnership between the Czech Armed Forces and the Nebraska and Texas National Guard, that started in 1993 following the tip of the Cold War with the aim of serving to the Czech Republic put together to change into members of NATO, stays on stable floor right this moment.

“During this 30 years of our partnership with both Nebraska and Texas, we benefited a lot as a military,” stated Czech Lt. Gen. Karel Rehka, Czech Chief of Defense. “It helped us transform from the socialist conscript-type of military into a modern, professional military of a democratic state.”

Rehka, who participated in his first State Partnership Program engagement in 1994, stated that because of this of this collaboration, the Czech Armed Forces grew into full companions in NATO, prepared to serve with their allies every time and wherever known as upon.

“This partnership pays back,” Rehka stated. “And we can return it on the battlefield when it’s needed.”

And that’s extraordinarily necessary in right this moment’s worldwide local weather, stated Frantisek Sulc, 1st Deputy Minister of the Czech Ministry of Defense.

“It is 30 years of cooperation and learning from each other and friendship,” Sulc stated in the course of the Aug. 24 opening ceremony for the Guardians of Freedom Airshow. “Thirty years that has been mutually beneficial… and it’s going to be the same for years to come.”

“We are allies. We are standing shoulder by shoulder in times when evil wants to rule over the freedom and democracy,” he stated. “It has been almost 22 years since the terrorists cowardly and deliberately attacked the U.S. The Czech Republic stood by its U.S. ally. Czech troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq… and some of them lost their lives.”

“(Today) we are together helping Ukraine against Russian aggression,” he stated.

During the almost week-lengthy celebration, Czech servicemembers participated in parachute demonstrations on the airshow, carried out conferences with members of the Nebraska National Guard, and carried out live shows and precision drill demonstrations in Lincoln and Wilber, Nebraska, which payments itself as “the Czech Capitol of the United States.”

In reality, it was these vital cultural ties to the Czech Republic – Nebraska has the very best per-capita of residents with ties to the Czechoslovakia in United States going again to the tip of the nineteenth Century – that performed a major position in Nebraska and Texas to be matched with the Czech Republic.

It’s additionally a unbroken supply of power of the connection that continues to evolve into new missions and efforts, say leaders from the Texas and Nebraska National Guard.

“All those years later brings us to today and the celebration of our 30-year partnership,” stated Brig. Gen. Camacho, Texas National Guard deputy adjutant general-Air. According to Camacho, the SPP relationship has been extraordinarily helpful to all three group in addition to to world, itself.

“The way we preserve peace is through our allies,” he stated, including that members of the Texas and Nebraska National Guard look ahead to 30 extra years of collaboration “and where this partnership will take us with our brothers and sisters as we fight alongside you to help secure your borders and as you help us secure ours.”

Brig. Gen. Craig Strong, Nebraska National Guard adjutant normal, agreed.

“The American-Czech partnership is strong, and it is only going to get stronger,” Strong stated, including that the work that has occurred and can happen in the course of the Czech-Nebraska-Texas exchanges and actions, has enabled the U.S. to proceed to develop the capabilities it wants to efficiently work with its many worldwide allies.

“I know if I go into battle and I see the Czech flag, I am confident that we have each others’ back,” Strong added. “And that means a lot.”