The recent visit of ONG to Serbia successfully rounds up one year of intensive activities, continuing the process of enabling the Serbian Armed Forces for joint work, exercises and peace missions with other armies in the world.

The latest activity in an increasingly richer cooperation between Serbia and the American state of Ohio realized within the State Partnership Program is the participation of our 15 military officers and NCOs in the joint military drill with the National Guard of Ohio from 13 till 23 June. At the “Fort Grayling” training ground, one of the largest and best-equipped training grounds in US, we worked 24/7 during our delegation’s visit.

During their intensive four-day work visit, the delegation of SAF Air Forces, led by its Commander Col. Dragan Katanic was once again convinced that Ohio is an excellent partner which is sincere to help our Air Forces.

An official visit of Maj. Gen. Gregory Wayt, Adjutant General of Ohio National Guard, in September 2006, marked the commencement of the realization of State Partnership Program of Serbia and this US State. The partnership with Ohio will commence first with military-military activities, and will then move to develop civil-military and civil-civil relations.

From 5th to 8th September, 2006, the President of Serbia Boris Tadic paid an official visit to US, with Maj. Gen. Zdravko Ponos, Acting Chief of the SAF GS as part of the delegation. The main objective of this visit to Washington was presenting our state policy for solving the Kosovo status. The major part of the visit focused on meetings and talks on military topics.

The National Guard is a traditional form of organizing the Armed Forces in the United States, which dates back to the American Revolution and the War for Independence. The National Guard is a part of Land and Air Forces which each US state can deploy under the command of the Governor of the respective state. Therefore, it was not surprising that the former Governor of Ohio, George Voinovich, also of Serbian origin, as well as the fact that the greatest number of Americans of Serbian descent had greatly swayed the European Command to choose Ohio as Serbia’s future partner.