“U.S State Partnership Program will build capacity of defence sector to meet today’s challenges”
The agreement was signed by Adjutant General of Montana National Guard Major General John Hronek on behalf of the government of U.S.
Signing ceremony of the Montana National Guard State Partnership Program
The United States ‘State Partnership Program’ will go a “long way” in capacity building and preparing the Maldivian defence sector for current challenges, says Minister of Defence and National Security, Mariya Ahmed Didi.
She said this during the ceremony held at the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) IHQ on Sunday, to sign the Montana National Guard State Partnership Program.
The agreement was signed by Adjutant General of Montana National Guard Major General John Hronek on behalf of the government of U.S. Minister Mariya signed on behalf of the Maldivian government.
As such, taking the podium at the ceremony, the minister stated that by enrolling in the U.S. State Partnership Program, Maldives has reiterated its commitment to deepen the defence and security relationship between the two countries.
She added that since the 2020 Framework agreement, the ties between Maldives and U.S. have grown “tremendously” over the past three years. As such, she noted that the enrolment in the significant program is a “solid” outcome of the Framework Agreement signed in September 2020 which formalized the way forward in solidifying the defence and security cooperation between U.S. and Maldives.
Further, she noted that the Montana National Guard State Partnership Program is specially made to meet the exclusive requirements of the defence and security landscape of Maldives by facilitating engagements in key areas including Maritime Domain Awareness, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Cyber Defense and Communication Security, Aviation Security Operations, Leadership Development, Military Medical and Engineering Activities, Operational Logistics and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Environmental Defense and Response.
Members of the U.S. delegation, Chief of Defence Force Major General Abdulla Shamaal, officers of MNDF, Chief Executive Officer of National Disaster Management Authority Hisan Hassan and Director of Anti-Human Trafficking Ali Jaishan Amir attended the signing ceremony.
