Leaders from the New York National Guard and the Swedish military sign an agreement for joint training at New York’s Freedom Tower on July 12, 2024. From left, Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, left, the adjutant general of New York; Pål Jonson, Sweden’s defense minister; Marcos Soler, New York’s deputy secretary for public safety; and Maj. Gen. Johan Pekkari, Sweden’s chief of policy and plans, sign the document. (Stephanie Butler/New York National Guard)
The New York National Guard has entered a partnership with Sweden’s armed forces that will see the two sides regularly work together.
The deal marks the latest military agreement inked by Sweden, which in March ended two centuries of neutrality by joining NATO amid ongoing concerns over Russia’s expansionist ambitions.
Under the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, New York and Swedish troops will engage in activities ranging from training exercises and personnel exchanges to disaster response work.
“This partnership will not only enhance operational abilities, it will also strengthen the bonds of friendship and a new understanding between our forces and our countries,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said in a statement Friday, when the partnership was signed.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a separate statement, said the capabilities of both militaries were set to improve under the partnership.
A Swedish air force ASC 850 surveillance plane at Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, earlier this month. The aircraft's mission marked Sweden's participation in NATO operations across the north Atlantic for the first time as an alliance member. (Facebook/NATO Allied Air Command/Filip Djarv)
There are nearly 100 such partnerships between state National Guards and foreign countries. They began in 1993, when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were paired with Maryland, Michigan and Pennsylvania, respectively.
The three Baltic countries had recently emerged from the breakup of the Soviet Union and worked with the National Guard troops to reform their militaries.
In May, Sweden’s neighbor Finland signed an agreement with the Virginia National Guard.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted both countries, which had long ruled out NATO membership, to apply to join the bloc.
The militaries of both countries had frequently trained with the alliance before joining and worked with NATO troops in places such as Afghanistan.
In the days leading up to Sweden’s signing of its partnership agreement with the New York National Guard, the country’s air force participated in NATO operations across the north Atlantic for the first time as a member.
Sweden deployed an ASC 890 aircraft and support staff to Keflavik, Iceland, to conduct surveillance and combat control flights during the NATO summit in Washington last week.
Earlier this week, Sweden and Finland launched their quick reaction alert forces to intercept two Russian fighter planes flying over international waters in the Baltic Sea, NATO said.
The New York National Guard holds a signing ceremony with Sweden at One World Trade Center in Manhattan on July 12, 2024. The State Partnership Program pairs National Guard units with the militaries of countries around the world in training and exchange partnerships. (Jean Kratzer/New York National Guard)
