Today Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) announced he had helped include $8 million in the Fiscal Year 2017 Defense Appropriations Bill to strengthen relationships between the United States and its allies through military training exercises under the National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP). The bill passed out of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee yesterday.

The SPP was created in 1993 following the fall of the Soviet Union and consists of relationships involving 76 nations around the globe. It allows members of state National Guards to train and sharpen the skills of their foreign counterparts and vice versa. One of the many permanent partnerships that make up the program is the Nebraska & Texas – Czech Republic State Partnership, which has existed since the SPP originated in 1993. The relationship between the states’ national guards and forces from the Czech Republic allows service members to participate in exercises such as battlefield trauma care, aerial refueling and cyber defense, all skills in ever-greater need in today’s military engagements.

Across the Atlantic and South America, the Texas Air Guard has participated in exercises with Chile when airmen from both countries engaged in a medical air-evacuation exercise in April to learn from one another about how to better respond to catastrophes and emergencies. Texas service members bring home with them new skills and greater cross-cultural understanding that make them stronger members of their community.

“The SPP strengthens relationships between U.S. states, including Texas, and our allies,” Congressman Cuellar said. “Through relationships such as those with Chile and the Czech Republic, Texas Guard members learn how to serve their countries better and develop a greater sense of the importance of belonging in an increasingly interconnected world. Given the strong relationships and service members the program has created in Texas and beyond, I strongly believe in its value to our country.”

“In this austere fiscal environment, and though defense dollars are scarce, the congressman’s language shows the importance of the State Partnership Program which enhances military capabilities and improves both training and global relationships, specifically in the Texas National Guard with our great friends and partners Chile and the Czech Republic,” said Major General John F. Nichols, the adjutant general of Texas.

For more information on the SPP, please see here.