Photo By Master Sgt. Travis Hill | Officers from the Montenegrin army and members of the Maine Air National Guard climb a...... read more read more
The Maine Air National Guard hosted members of the Montenegrin military during a communications familiarization event from June 1 to 5, 2022. The 243rd Engineering Installations Squadron and the 265th Combat Communications Squadron provided activities ranging from antenna tower climbing to operations of complex communications systems.
"The Maine National Guard has enjoyed an expanding relationship with Montenegro for over 15 years," said 2nd Lt. Omar Gonzaga, operations officer for the 265th CBCS. "These opportunities allow us to not only showcase some state-of-the-art equipment, but also provides our guests with examples of best practices on how to plan and implement various resources. They also were able to provide us with some valuable insights making it a two-way flow of information."
The Balkan country of Montenegro, located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, declared its independence on June 3, 2006. On Nov. 20, 2006, Montenegro signed a bilateral affairs agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense and established a partnership with the state of Maine through the National Guard State Partnership Program.
Four English-speaking officers from the Montenegrin army arrived for their first day at the South Portland Air National Guard Station. They participated in a tour and received an overview of the 265th CBSC's recent Flexible Communications Package exercise. They briefed on tower climbing safety from the 243rd EIS before heading to the SPANGS tower for an opportunity to climb the 150-foot structure.
"The tower climbing was certainly something they will go back and tell their units about," said 2nd Lt. Justin Smith, cyberspace engineer for the 243rd EIS. "Working on towers is part of what some airmen do here for us to be able to deploy anywhere in the world. The Montenegrin military has not fully developed these capabilities, making this a unique experience."
The following two days provided the Montenegrins with an opportunity to participate in a comprehensive communications exercise with members of the 243rd EIS and 265th CBCS. The exercise included the set up and operation of both units' resources.
Saturday, the final day of the event, provided an opportunity for the visitors to see the National Guard in action. It was both units' drill weekend. About 300 airmen arrived at SPANGS early in the morning and began working on similar training to what the Montenegrins had observed on a smaller scale during the week. They spent the day observing the 243rd EIS operations and the event was concluded with a barbeque cookout with both units. Sunday, they departed to return to Montenegro, bringing with them possibly a new look at conducting communications operations within the Montenegrin army.
"The National Guard's State Partnership Program provides an incredible opportunity for states to help build strong bilateral defense relationships," said Maj. Gen. Douglas Farnham, Maine's Adjutant General. "You just have to look at the National Guard relationships in Europe. The value of these close partnerships, built over years, is certainly serving the region well countering Russian aggression."
SPP began in 1993 to support defense strategy goals using military-to-military engagements. All states participate in the program, encompassing 93 partner nations. Examples of the SPP's focus are disaster and emergency response, leader and staff development, engineering activities, and communications security – an area the units at SPANGS are specialized in.
"Maine participates in approximately 25 events each year - in Maine, Montenegro, and globally - supporting the National Defense Strategy," said Farnham. "Our partnership creates strong, meaningful relationships which help develop all our service members."
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2022 12:39 |
| Story ID: | 422744 |
| Location: | SOUTH PORTLAND, ME, US |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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