Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel    
    
        Special Victims Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 In Moldova, Guard Chief Finds a Nation Strengthening its Armed Forces By Master Sgt. Jim Greenhill,
                National Guard Bureau
 CHISINAU, Moldova – With a brutal war raging in neighboring Ukraine and very wary of nearby Russia, this Eastern European democracy is rapidly strengthening its national defense – and looking to the North Carolina National Guard for help. “In light of current events, Moldova sees the critical importance of their ability to defend their independence and sovereignty,” Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson said after a recent visit here. Hokanson’s messages to Moldova: The National Guard is a proven long-term partner. We are here to assist in any way we can. We will help you enhance your safety and security. The chief of the National Guard Bureau led an American defense delegation that included Army Maj. Gen. Todd Hunt, North Carolina’s adjutant general, and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Garner, his senior enlisted leader. For Hokanson, Moldova was the first stop on a five-nation trip to recognize and strengthen National Guard relationships with NATO allies and European partners. People lined sidewalks to catch a glimpse of the most senior U.S. military officer to visit the nation (Hokanson is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff). His schedule included meetings with the U.S. ambassador and embassy staff, Moldova’s defense minister and its chief of defense, and a briefing with the Moldovan equivalent of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Bordered to the North, East and South by Ukraine and to the West by Romania, Moldova is paired with North Carolina in the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program – an enduring relationship stretching back more than a quarter-century. “You can tell the investment the North Carolina Guard has made in the partnership – and the investment Moldova has made in sending their officers to schools in the U.S. – has developed a great relationship,” Hokanson said. The visit gave North Carolina Guardsmen a chance to conduct one of their first in-person exchanges since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced almost two years of virtual engagements. The adjutant general talked with Moldovan soldiers who have been to his state or a training rotation with the North Carolina Guard’s 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California, or Fort Bliss, Texas. “My desire is we continue this strong partnership for another 25 years,” Hunt said. The National Guard partnership was the catalyst for Moldova to also develop strong relationships with North Carolina’s civilian sector. “The Guard is about Citizen-Soldiers and -Airmen,” Hunt said. “We’re able to use the ‘citizen’ part to build relationships in the civilian sector. For example, North Carolina’s medical and education sectors have been very beneficial in supporting Moldova.” In 2019, North Carolina’s secretary of state and Moldova’s prime minister renewed a 5-year bilateral agreement that also includes agriculture, economic and law enforcement cooperation. Command Sgt. Maj. Garner’s presence underlined the vital role of the noncomissioned officer corps in U.S. military success. “They see how important the noncommisioned officer is to the U.S. Army and how much of a difference a strong NCO corps has made for the Ukrainian Army,” Hokanson said. “They see great value in having leaders at the lowest levels in their formations.” Moldova continues to enhance the role of its NCOs. As in all SPP relationships, knowledge never flows in only one direction. “It’s a bilateral partnership that allows us to learn from Moldova,” Garner said. Training with the Moldovans and visiting the country is a growth opportunity for North Carolina Guardsmen, he said. It gives younger troops a broader geopolitical perspective. And it’s a great retention tool. “It’s really what people join the Armed Forces for, to get out into the world and interact with others,” Garner said. “What you see on the posters – what I joined for – you get to do that through the State Partnership Program.” It’s not only knowledge that flows both ways: Moldovan National Army members have served with United Nations peacekeeping operations, supported the international coalition in Iraq, and repeatedly contributed to NATO missions in Kosovo. They have shared experiences with the North Carolina National Guard. Security cooperation is the priority. But the partners also learn from each other in domestic disaster response operations – support to civilian authorities made possible by equipping and training for military missions. The Moldovan National Army is transforming into a modern, mobile force, and Hokanson attended the opening of a military vehicle maintenance facility U.S. money helped build. “It should greatly increase their ability to maintain all of their systems, which is going to improve readiness,” he said. He also praised Moldovans for their substantial, ongoing effort to help Ukrainian refugees – in spite of their own economic challenges. A small country with a huge heart, Moldova has welcomed more Ukrainians per capita than any other nation. “It’s a whole-of-society effort,” the general said. “Not only is the government working through non-governmental organizations to help refugees, but Moldovan families are taking in refugees to help support them until they can return to Ukraine, stay, or decide to travel to Europe. In some cases, the military has left their installations to allow refugees to stay, and they’ve gone to the field to train.” The European Union offered both Moldova and Ukraine candidacy status during Hokanson’s overseas trip. After Moldova, Hokanson traveled to Germany, where he met with U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe leaders, and with National Guardsmen training Ukrainian troops, including some troops who were deployed to Ukraine immediately before Russia’s unprovoked invasion earlier this year. “Their mission of training the Ukrainians continues, particularly as the Ukrainians field more capable military equipment from the United States,” Hokanson said. He also visited Vermont National Guardsmen flying F-35 Lightning multirole fighter jets out of Germany to reassure America’s allies and partners by supporting a NATO mission defending the skies of Europe. He continued to the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where he reinforced the importance of three-decade security partnerships between those countries and the Maryland, Michigan and Pennsylvania National Guards. “They were the first three partnerships we had in the State Partnership Program,” he noted. As the SPP prepares to celebrate its 30th anniversary next year, some 93 countries – 46 percent of the world’s countries – are now partnered with National Guards in the states, territories and District of Columbia. “It’s mutually beneficial,” Hokanson said of the SPP. “We learn from each other. It makes us both better. It makes us stronger together in an increasingly complex and challenging international security environment.”
 SHARE
 PRINT
 News about the State Partnership Program
 State Partnership Program
 SPP
 Moldova
 
 Guard, Partner Nations Collaborate at State Partnership Program Conference
 By Air Force Lt. Col. Allison Stephens,
  North Carolina, North Dakota, Maine Honored for State Partnerships
 By Air Force Lt. Col. Allison, Stephens,
  NC, Alabama Guard complete Fire Shield 2019 in Moldova
 By Sgt. 1st Class Robert Jordan
  More
 Virginia National Guard Soldiers Conduct Air Assault Drill5/1/2024Maryland Guard Joins Homeland Disaster Response Exercise4/30/2024Georgia Guard Provides Airborne Safety Training4/29/2024 View more Guard News »
 New York Army Guard Soldiers Heading to North Africa4/30/2024
Pennsylvania National Guard Members Deploy to Africa4/19/2024
US, Canadian Special Forces Forge Partnerships in Jamaica4/8/2024 View more Overseas Operations News »
 Guard, Partner Nations Collaborate at State Partnership Program Conference4/26/2024

North Carolina, North Dakota, Maine Honored for State Partnerships4/25/2024

Ohio Guard Air Control Squadron Trains with NATO Partners4/23/2024 View more State Partnership Program News »
 Back-to-school tools for military families8/11/2015DoD sends blended military retirement proposal to Congress6/16/2015First employment symposium held for National Guard spouses5/11/2015 View more Family Programs News »
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil