PHOENIX – Maj. Gen. Kerry L. Muehlenbeck, Director of Arizona’s Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, is proud to announce the new partnership between the Sultanate of Oman and the Arizona National Guard, 13 October 2022, through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program.

“Arizona has extensive land, air and emergency management experience that closely aligns with the capabilities, challenges and goals of Oman,” said Gen. Muehlenbeck. “We are excited to welcome this partnership and look forward to the collaboration and establishment of enduring relationships for years to come.”

Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the program that now includes more than 90 Nations from around the globe paired with states to build mutually beneficial and durable partnerships that supports each nation’s strategic goals. Arizona was one the first states to join the cooperative program in 1991 and will continue to maintain its special bond with the Republic of Kazakhstan. This nearly 30-year partnership has become the standard model for state partnerships nationwide.

“Our state partnership with Oman will offer a new perspective in working, deploying, training and learning together,” Col. Pete Caffrey, State Partnership Program Coordinator said. “Our investments into relationships like that with Oman and Kazakhstan will sustain future advantages and strengthen our network of security.”

The National Guard conducts military-to-military engagements to build partner capacity, improve interoperability, and enhance U.S. access and influence while increasing the readiness of U.S and partner forces to meet emerging challenges. The program has become a key U.S. security cooperation tool by facilitating cooperation across all aspects of international civil-military affairs and encourages people-to-people ties at the state level.

“It allows our soldiers and airmen to really visit a lot of other countries,” said Lt. Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau on the State Partnership Program. “To look at the environment that they operate in, and to really see, in many cases, the same problems — just approached from a different angle. We learn a lot in those countries and in those interactions that we bring back to make our organizations better, and I like to think vice versa.”

The Sultanate of Oman, an Arabian country off the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, will be the second state partnership with the state of Arizona. It is home to almost 4 million people and borders Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen while sharing maritime borders with Iran and Pakistan. Oman’s military, known as the Sultan of Oman’s Armed Forces, consists of Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Guard, and other defense forces.

Officials with the Arizona National Guard and the Sultanate of Oman are coordinating an official signing ceremony, celebrating the partnership. Details on this event will be posted at a later date. Additional information on the State Partnership Program can be found through Building Partnerships Around the Globe (defense.gov)