State Partnership Program in Latin America and the Caribbean

The U.S. National Guard's State Partnership Program (SPP) has been successfully building relationships with partner nation forces since 1993.  Through SPP, the National Guard conducts military-to-military engagements to support defense and security cooperation around the world.  In SOUTHCOM's Area of Responsibility, 18 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have active partnerships with defense and security forces from 24 nations in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

State Partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean

U.S. National Guard-supported state partnerships in the region date back to 1996. U.S. National Guard troops conducted dozens of state partnership events with counterparts in Latin America and the Caribbean every year. Here's a list of the current partnerships in the region and the years they were established:

  • Arkansas / Guatemala (2002)

  • Connecticut / Uruguay (2000)

  • Delaware / Trinidad-Tobago (2004)

  • District of Columbia / Jamaica (1999)

  • Florida / Guyana (2003) & Virgin Is. / Regional Security System–Eastern Caribbean (2006)

  • Georgia / Argentina (2016)

  • Kentucky / Ecuador (1996)

  • Louisiana / Belize (1996) & Haiti (2011)

  • Massachusetts / Paraguay (2001)

  • Missouri / Panama (1996)

  • New Hampshire / El Salvador (2000)

  • New Mexico / Costa Rica (2006)

  • New York / Brazil (2019)

  • Puerto Rico / Honduras (1998) & Dominican Republic (2003)

  • South Carolina / Colombia (2012) & Suriname (2006)

  • Texas / Chile (2008)

  • West Virginia / Peru (1996)    

  • Wisconsin / Nicaragua (2003)

State Partnership Activity Focus Areas

  • Security (border, port and aviation)

  • Disaster preparedness and crisis management

  • Humanitarian assistance

  • Maintenance (aircraft, vehicles, vessels)

  • Medical

  • Logistics

  • Engineering

  • Communications

  • Operational planning

  • Professional development (leadership, officer, non-commissioned officer)    

  • Personnel and family support

COMMANDER'S PRIORITIES