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    Vietnam delegation visits Oregon National Guard for State Partnership Program workshop

    Vietnam People's Army delegation visits Oregon Capitol

    Photo By Master Sgt. Nick Choy | A delegation from Vietnam poses with Oregon National Guard leadership in the Senate...... read more read more

    SALEM, OR, UNITED STATES

    04.16.2013

    Story by Master Sgt. Nick Choy 

    Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office

    SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon National Guard is hosting a delegation from the Vietnam People’s Army, April 14-19, as part of its ongoing State Partnership Program.

    The Vietnam delegation visited the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Fighter Wing in Portland, Ore., where they viewed F-15 Eagle aircraft. The delegation visited the State Capitol in Salem, Ore., where they met with Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and several Oregon legislators for a brown-bag lunch session. They also visited the Army Aviation Support Facility in Salem, Ore., where they viewed several Oregon Army National Guard aircraft, such as the HH-60M Black Hawk, the UH-72 Lakota, and the CH-47 Chinook.

    The week of visits to Oregon National Guard facilities throughout the state will culminate in an SPP workshop scheduled in Portland, April 17-19. The workshop is scheduled to include experts in several fields including academics, economics, port and maritime security, humanitarian aid, search and rescue, and renewable energy.

    Lt. Gen. Tran Quang Khue, deputy chief of general staff for the Vietnam People's Army, leads the delegation, which includes experts in law, marine shipping, military science, finance planning and investment, and international relations. Senior Col. Nguyen Xuan Kien, vice director of Military Medical Department of the Vietnam People’s Army, is also a part of the delegation.

    The Oregon National Guard’s State Partnership with Vietnam is poised to greatly benefit all those involved in the program, with cross-cultural awareness, domestic emergency preparedness training, and the enhancement of international relationships.

    “We hope to build upon the established success with our SPP partner, Bangladesh, and work just as effectively with our new partner, the National Committee for Search and Rescue of Vietnam, to create a foundation for future success in the areas of search and rescue and emergency response,” said Capt. Stephen Bomar, Oregon Military Department Public Affairs Office.

    Oregon National Guard soldiers and airmen bring real-world experience to issues deemed important in Vietnam, in particular, domestic emergency response and natural disaster preparedness and response, Bomar added.

    The partnership between the Oregon National Guard and Vietnam was made official in November 2012 as part of the National Guard Bureau-sanctioned program, which pairs emerging democracies with National Guard states. Oregon currently has both Vietnam and Bangladesh as its state partners.

    The State Partnership program complements broader U.S. engagement with Vietnam in pursuit of shared priorities such as disaster relief, education, health, trade and the environment. The program directly supports the broad national interests and security cooperation goals of the United States by engaging partner nations via military, socio-political, and economic conduits at the local, state, and national levels.

    Vietnam, located in Southeast Asia, has a population of about 91.5 million. It is bordered by the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.16.2013
    Date Posted: 04.16.2013 23:10
    Story ID: 105326
    Location: SALEM, OR, US

    Web Views: 468
    Downloads: 0

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