The National Guard State Partnership Program: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress

Lawrence Kapp
Specialist in Military Manpower Policy

Nina M. Serafino
Specialist in International Security Affairs

The State Partnership Program (SPP) is a Department of Defense (DOD) security cooperation program run by the National Guard. It also serves as a mechanism for training National Guard personnel. Since the program began in 1992, it has expanded to the point where nearly every state National Guard participates, as do the National Guard of Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.

The SPP relates to several areas of potential interest to Congress, including improving the capabilities of partner nations to protect their citizens; strengthening relationships with partners to facilitate cooperation, access, and interoperability; improving cultural awareness and skills among U.S. military personnel; and fostering the integration of reserve and active component forces into a “total force.”

In addition, the rapid expansion of the SPP has led to congressional scrutiny of the conformity of some SPP activities with the law, the effectiveness of the program, and the relationship of SPP activities to the priorities of U.S. geographic combatant commanders and U.S. ambassadors abroad. Congressional interest in SPP is also tied to broader concerns that some DOD security cooperation activities may encroach on, complicate, or conflict with State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) responsibilities and prerogatives.

The SPP conducts a variety of activities in support of partner nations, including 

• exchanges of subject matter experts, 
• demonstrations of certain military capabilities, 
• discussions of policy issues, and 
• visits between senior leaders of a state National Guard and senior leaders of the partner nations armed forces. 

These interactions commonly focus on topics such as disaster management, command and control, search and rescue, border operations, military medicine, and military education. In some of the more developed partnerships, teams of National Guard personnel have embedded with the military forces of its partner nations as they prepared for and deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo.

The SPP is based on general statutory authorities used by active and reserve component forces to conduct security cooperation. Some unique aspects of the SPP include 

• the potential for establishing enduring relationships between individuals in the state National Guard and their peers in the partner nation’s armed forces; 
• the ability to share specialized expertise about topics such as disaster response, civil disorder, counter-narcotics operations, and border security; and 
• the ability to link senior officials of a state with senior officials of a foreign nation, which can open avenues for greater cooperation between the state and the partner nation in non-military areas. 

This report traces the origin and development of the program; summarizes its unique aspects; and outlines its statutory basis, funding mechanisms, organization, and activities. It details recent
legislative and executive branch actions. It also explores issues that may merit congressional attention and provides options for policymakers who may be interested in modifying the program.


Date of Report: August 15, 2011
Number of Pages: 33
Order Number: R41957
Price: $29.95

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