RIYADH — The Saudi Ministry of Defense has signed on Wednesday the State Partnership agreement with the US National Guard of Indiana and Oklahoma. A number of senior officials from the Saudi Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of the National Guard as well as the US officials attended the ceremony held at the Armed Forces Officers Club in Riyadh. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Ministry of Defense by the Chief of the General Staff Gen. Fayyad Al-Ruwaili, and on behalf of the US side, it was signed by Chief of the US National Guard Bureau Gen. Steven Nordhaus; Adjutant General of the Oklahoma National Guard Maj. Gen Thomas Mancino; and Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard Brig. Gen. Lawrence Munich. The agreement falls within the State Partnership Program (SPP) of the US Department of Defense, which includes more than 115 international partnerships around the world. It aims to enhance defense and security cooperation through training, exchange of expertise, and support for security and stability efforts. The agreement covers several key areas, most notably developing joint defense capabilities, enhancing the readiness of the Saudi Armed Forces, participating in joint military exercises, developing leadership and strategic planning, enhancing emergency response and disaster management, and building sustainable institutional partnerships. Future initiatives include exchanging visits, conducting joint field training in both countries, officer exchange programs, sharing expertise, and organizing specialized workshops in leadership and planning, artificial intelligence, and crisis management, in addition to community and cultural projects that enhance cooperation and rapprochement between the two sides. Indiana and Oklahoma were nominated for this partnership due to their distinguished expertise in military training, leadership capacity support, disaster response, and infrastructure protection. These areas align with the Ministry of Defense's priorities to enhance the overall readiness of the Saudi Armed Forces. Chief of the General Staff Gen. Al-Ruwaili praised the continued support the armed forces is receiving from the Saudi leadership. "The signing of this strategic partnership is an extension of the directives of Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman to enhance the readiness of the armed forces and raise their operational efficiency," he said. Al-Ruwaili emphasized that this partnership represents a historic milestone in the path of defense cooperation between the two friendly countries and reflects their unwavering commitment to building joint and integrated capabilities that enhance regional security and stability. "This partnership represents a long-term, sustainable strategic investment that contributes to enhancing the readiness and capabilities of the Saudi Armed Forces to meet current and future challenges. It also strengthens the Kingdom's role as a reliable and effective strategic partner in supporting the security and stability of the region," he added. For his part, Chief of the US National Guard Bureau Gen. Steven Nordhaus expressed his pride over signing this partnership with the Kingdom, stressing that it will enhance joint defense capabilities, raise readiness, and support the efforts of both countries to confront current and future challenges. Speaking on the occasion, the Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia Allison Dilworth emphasized that this agreement represents a qualitative and important step in strengthening military cooperation between the two friendly countries and represents an extension of the sustainable strategic partnership and cooperation. This agreement reflects the strength of the strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America and constitutes a solid step towards long-term defense cooperation that contributes to enhancing security and stability and supports joint efforts to build a more peaceful and prosperous future.
