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A U.S. Air Force Airman from the Georgia Air National Guard’s 116th Security Forces Squadron leads the way for Latvian joint terminal attack controllers while hiking alongside Lake Huron on a training mission during Northern Strike 19 in Rogers City, Mich., July 30, 2019. Northern Strike 19 is a National Guard Bureau-sponsored exercise uniting service members from more than 20 states, multiple service branches and numerous coalition countries during the last two weeks of July 2019 at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, both located in northern Michigan and operated by the Michigan National Guard. The accredited Joint National Training Capability exercise demonstrates the Michigan National Guard’s ability to provide accessible, readiness-building opportunities for military units from all service branches to achieve and sustain proficiency in conducting mission command, air, sea, and ground maneuver integration, together with the synchronization of fires in a joint, multinational, decisive action environment.
(Photo Credit: Master Sgt. Matt Hecht)VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 7Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 119th Field Artillery, Michigan National Guard mentor Latvian Army Soldiers on live-fire procedures of M777 howitzer during exercise Summer Shield XIII held in Adazi, Latvia April 21. Soldiers of the 1-119th FA deployed to Latvia for multinational fires and effects training exercise. Latvia and Michigan have trained together through the State Partnership Program for 24 years.
(Photo Credit: Sgt. 1st Class Helen Miller)VIEW ORIGINAL3 / 7Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Joint Terminal Attack Controllers from the Latvian National Armed Forces conduct close air support training with U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft assigned to the 107th Fighter Squadron, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., at Grayling Aerial Gunnery Range in Waters, Mich., October 29, 2019.
(Photo Credit: Master Sgt. Scott Thompson)VIEW ORIGINAL4 / 7Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Joint Terminal Attack Controllers from the Latvian National Armed Forces conduct close air support training at Grayling Aerial Gunnery Range in Waters, Mich., October 28, 2019.
(Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Jacob Cessna)VIEW ORIGINAL5 / 7Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Soldiers and airmen from the Michigan National Guard participate in a volunteer work project at the National Social Care Center, Riga affiliate, as part of Latvia’s “National Clean-up Day,” along with four soldiers from the 407th Civil Affairs Team stationed at Lielvārde Air Base, two personnel from the U.S. Embassy Office of Defense Cooperation, and members of Latvia’s National Guard (Zemessardze).
(Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Andrew B Layton)VIEW ORIGINAL6 / 7Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Michigan Air National Guard Airmen, including Senior Master Sgt. Jeremy Wohlford, fire chief, Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Senior Master Sgt. Joshua Rance, security forces superintendent, 110th Wing, Battle Creek Air National Guard Base, Master Sgt. Wesley Cooper, fire protection specialist, 127th Wing, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich., and Staff Sgt. Eric Kruse, emergency management specialist, Alpena CRTC, march in the 101st Latvian Independence Day parade, Riga, Latvia, Nov. 18, 2019. Michigan and Latvia have been linked under the U.S. National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program since 1993.
(Photo Credit: 1st Lt. Andrew Layton)VIEW ORIGINAL7 / 7Show Caption +Hide Caption –
Soldiers with Combat Support Company, 3rd Brigade, Latvian National Armed Forces, await pickup from a U.S. CH-47 Chinook during training at Camp Grayling, Mich., on Aug. 9, 2018. As part of the 25-year Michigan-Latvia State Partnership Program, Latvian National Armed Forces are participating in Northern Strike, a joint multinational combined arms live-fire exercise, involving approximately 5,000 service members from 11 states and six coalition countries.
(Photo Credit: Spc. Emily Eppens)VIEW ORIGINAL
LANSING, Mich. – The Latvian National Armed Forces and the Michigan National Guard have developed a relationship stretching back nearly three decades through the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program.
One of the great traditions of this cooperation is the celebration of Latvia's national Independence Day, observed each year on Nov. 18. For visiting members of the Michigan National Guard, that day of pageantry and patriotism caps a week of readiness exercises and skills exchanges with Latvian counterparts. Even the Michigan National Guard's color guard has been a fixture in Latvia's Independence Day parade for many years.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the partners were unable to celebrate the 102nd anniversary of Latvia's independence together in person. This did not deter them from reaffirming their commitment to meaningful cooperation with a video teleconference event on Nov. 24.
"I am grateful for any opportunity to meet with our Latvian partners, even in this virtual setting," said Maj. Gen. Paul Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "Time and again, this partnership proves its value as we continue to overcome obstacles together. We all get a lot out of our cooperation with Latvia, and we are thankful for the unshakable foundation on which this partnership is built."
During the videoconference, representatives of the Guard and the Latvian military discussed the ongoing and future cooperation between both countries, exercise participation, and development of Latvia's military infrastructure.
Both parties reflected on a major achievement of the partnership this year – the safe participation of Latvian military personnel in Northern Strike 20, the National Guard Bureau's premier joint fires exercise at the National All-Domain Warfighting Center in Northern Michigan. Despite the challenges of travel during the pandemic, Latvians displayed their strong commitment to the partnership by persisting. Members were tested before leaving Latvia for Michigan, during their stay in Michigan, and before their departure.
"We believe Michigan and Latvia have the best partnership and cooperation in the State Partnership Program," said Lt. Gen. Leonīds Kalniņš, Latvian chief of defence. "Our partnership will be valuable to enhance our military capabilities and increase our readiness in the future."
The partners have reason to be proud of what they have achieved together: Michigan and Latvia were the first to be linked under the SPP in 1993, partially due to the large Latvian-American population in Michigan. The SPP has been successfully building relationships ever since and now includes 82 partnerships with 84 nations around the globe.
Both leaders emphasized the relationship between their organizations is critical in enhancing multinational interoperability and helping to ensure the security of Europe.
"Investment in the future, working together, and building infrastructure will help ensure the success of mutually beneficial programs that enhance security and peace in the region," said Rogers. "In the long term, the more involvement we have between Latvia and Michigan, the better it will be for our capabilities, and I think I speak on behalf of the entire Michigan National Guard in saying that we can't wait to celebrate our future successes next year, together and in person."
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