The Minnesota National Guard and Norway officially became partners in the State Partnership Program on February 15, 2023, at a signing ceremony in Trondheim, Norway. The agreement was signed by His Excellency the United States Ambassador to Norway, Ambassador Marc Nathanson; Bjørn Arild Gram, Norwegian Defense Minister; General Eirik Kristoffersen, Chief of Defense of Norway; Army Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau; and Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard.
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TRONDHEIM, Norway — The Minnesota National Guard signed a formal agreement with Norway on Feb. 15 under the State Partnership Program to further develop their 50-year-old relationship.
“As a Minnesotan and a member of the Minnesota National Guard, I am grateful to the Department of Defense for formally approving our partnership with Norway,” said Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, National Guard Adjutant General Minnesota.
“Unique from the previous model of the State Partnership Program, our relationship with Norway is already mature,” Manke said. “It’s a great day for the United States and a great day for Minnesota as we move further into the future with our partner and friend, Norway. »
After 50 years of partnership between the Minnesota National Guard and the Norwegian National Guard through the United States-Norway Reciprocal Troop Exchange, known as NOREX, Minnesota will expand its partnership to the all agencies of the Norwegian Armed Forces through the State Partnership Program. This partnership will increase the Minnesota National Guard’s interoperability with a NATO ally and strengthen the bonds already established.
“I am humbled and honored to be here today to dedicate this [State Partnership Program] kudos to everyone who started this program [NOREX] in 1973 and followed him for 50 years,” said Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s defense chief. “I think they would be very proud to see what we have accomplished.
“Now it’s up to us to go further,” Kristoffersen said. “I see no limits; I just see possibilities. This is not just an agreement between the Norwegian National Guard and the Minnesota National Guard. It is an agreement between two armies and two nations that we have every opportunity to develop further. »
The Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program pairs the National Guard of a U.S. state or territory with the military, security forces, and government agencies of a partner nation responsible for responding to emergencies and to disasters. The program began in 1993 with 13 partners and is known for its low-cost but high-reward application to cooperative security efforts. Thirty years later, the program now includes 88 partnerships with 100 nations around the world and is a key tool of U.S. security cooperation that facilitates collaboration in all aspects of civil-military affairs.
The Minnesota Guard has shared a partnership with Croatia for 27 years, and now Norway will become another official partner through this program.
Signatories to the Norway State Partnership Program Agreement were His Excellency the United States Ambassador to Norway, Ambassador Marc Nathanson; Bjørn Arild Gram, Norwegian Defense Minister; Eirik Kristoffersen, Chief of Defense of Norway; Army General Daniel R. Hokanson,
Chief of the National Guard Bureau; and Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard.
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