Vienna, Austria – The Republic of Austria and the state of Vermont share historical and cultural roots based on common values, economic cooperation, winter sports, mountaineering, and, more recently, security cooperation.
The National Guard’s top commander met with Austrian military leaders last week to discuss how the security cooperation agreement signed in 2022 by Austria and the Vermont National Guard under the Department of Defense National Guard National Partnership Program is already expanding. I inspected it.
“This partnership is off to a great start and will serve as a model for current and future partnerships to emulate,” Army General Daniel Hokansson, head of the National Guard, told Austrian Defense Secretary General Rudolf Stridinger during a roundtable discussion. . with joint leaders of the Austrian Army and the Vermont National Guard.
“The future of this partnership is bright,” he said.
In the nearly 20 months since pen and paper cemented this partnership, the Vermont Guard has had interactions with the Austrian Guard focused on cyber defense, peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and, of course, mountain warfare. I went there.
When Jericho, Vermont, was chosen as the home of the U.S. Army Mountain Warfare School in 1983, its leaders reached out to the Austrian military for expertise and guidance.
Fast forward to April 2023. Vermont sent 16 of his Guardsmen to compete in two teams in the Edelweiss Raid, a grueling military mountaineering competition held in the Austrian Alps. The Vermont guard’s team ranks among the top 10 in this tournament, where just scoring is considered an accomplishment.
Vermont and Austrian units regularly train together in mountain tactics in both countries, exchanging best practices and building lasting relationships.
A few months later, in June, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the signing of the SPP, the Vermont Air National Guard landed a U.S.-based F-35 Lightning multirole stealth fighter in Austria for the first time and flew a training sortie with Austria’s Eurofighter Typhoon. Ta. As the Air National Guard’s first female F-35 pilot and a symbol of the diversity of the U.S. military, Air Force Lt. Kelsey Flannery garnered widespread attention and awe from the Austrian public.
At the event, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, the US Ambassador to Austria, praised the SPP for its great success based on common security interests.
Last week, she told Håkansson that the partnership was more than just a deal.
President Kennedy said, “Through the National Partnership Program, we are building stronger and deeper relationships between Austria and the United States, both at the government-to-government and people-to-people level.” “Shared values and common goals are the foundation of this strong relationship, which will lead to even more connections in the future.”
The National Partnership Program was established in 1993 as a way for the Department of Defense to help former Soviet Union countries emerge from behind the Iron Curtain. What started in 13 countries now spans 100 partner nations and the National Guards of each state, territory and District of Columbia.
The program brings together state National Guard troops and partner nation militaries, security forces, and disaster response organizations in a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship in support of combatant command, U.S. embassy, and partner nation objectives. .
Håkansson called the SPP one of the United States’ most cost-effective security cooperation tools.
Vermont is one of the few states with three SPP partner countries and is looking to build on Austria’s more established partnerships with North Macedonia and Senegal.
Maj. Gen. Gregory Knight, Vermont’s adjutant general, sees the SPP as a gateway to deeper societal cooperation beyond military-to-military engagement.
“This partnership is an opportunity to build trust at the user level, and the potential for growth beyond the millions is huge,” he said.
This is just one example. As part of a delegation to Vermont last week, Knight and Army Brig. Gen. Tracy Poirier, chairman of the Vermont National Guard’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, signed a memorandum of understanding supporting the creation of a student exchange program between Norwich University in Vermont and Teresin Military Academy in Austria.
Vermont and Austria are also closely connected through music. The exploits of Austrian Navy Captain Georg von Trapp and his family were famously, if somewhat inaccurately, portrayed in the 1965 film The Sound of Music. One thing is certain: the Trapp family eventually settled in Stowe, Vermont.
The Vermont National Guard and the United States were guests of honor at the annual Austrian Officers’ Ball held at Vienna’s historic Hofburg Palace, demonstrating the value Austria places on partnership.
The Vermont National Guard’s 40th Army Band joins the U.S. Army Europe and Africa Band and Chorus, the Vienna Austrian Wehrmacht Band and other Austrian bands to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the celebration under the theme: He performed in front of an audience of over 3,400 people. Sounds of Music. ”
CNGB also toured the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter facility at Langenrebahn Air Force Base. Here, Vermont National Guard maintainers will soon work with Austrian maintainers in a maintenance apprenticeship program. Like the Vermont National Guard, Austria uses rotorcraft for medical evacuations and to support civilian authorities during disasters and emergency response.
In 1955, Austria was constitutionally declared a permanently neutral state, prohibiting participation in military alliances and the permanent stationing of foreign troops in Austria.
When Austria joined the SPP along with Vermont, it became the first neutral European country to officially join the program. This sent a signal to other neutral nations that it was appropriate to cooperate with the Guards.
In early 2023, Norway joined the SPP, formalizing a decades-long relationship with the Minnesota National Guard. Håkansson visited Switzerland last fall to explore possible security cooperation exchanges with the National Guard.
“Europe has always been a close ally for us,” Hokansson said. “We all work very closely with our NATO partners, non-NATO partners, allies and friends because we all recognize the importance of maintaining a rules-based international order.”
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Air Force Col. John LaDue and Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill, National Guard Bureau. Maj. Gen. Mikel Alkovic, Air Force Master Sgt. Ryan Campbell and Army Sergeant Dennis Nunez of the Vermont National Guard contributed to this article.
