Senior War Department leaders met Aug. 13 for the 2026 National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program conference, aiming to line Guard security-cooperation work up with the National Defense Strategy and arms-transfer reform.
Speakers from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Defense Security Cooperation University and the National Guard Bureau’s International Affairs Directorate linked current partnerships to four strategy lines of effort: defend the homeland, deter China in the Pacific through strength rather than confrontation, increase burden-sharing with allies, and strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base.
Christopher Mamaux, deputy assistant secretary of war for security cooperation, said the program should move partners away from long-term dependence. “As we look to the future, we must transition our partnerships from a default of security dependence to operational independence,” Mamaux said. “We want to focus our energy on developing model allies, partners who are willing to spend on their own defense and contribute meaningfully to regional security.”
He also pointed to the program’s size. “With 117 partner nations, we have built a network of trust over decades that our strategic competitors cannot hope to replicate.”
David Ferrari, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency advisor to the director, called Guard personnel in the field an early-warning system for foreign military sales needs. “This is exactly where the SPP’s persistent engagement is a strategic enabler, as you are in these countries year after year and can help partners identify what they need before they submit a request.”
“As we improve FMS processes to help partners buy more U.S. equipment, we are directly scaling the arena for SPP activities,” Ferrari said. “As you conduct your persistent engagements this year, look at your partners through the lens of the America First Arms Transfer Strategy. Help us identify where partner capital can invest in mutual capacity, and help us transition them to modern, standard U.S. systems. We cannot reindustrialize the arsenal of freedom without the guard leading the way on the ground.”
Sonya Finley, dean of workforce education at the Defense Security Cooperation University, said the State Partnership Program is now a distinct functional area in the department’s Security Cooperation Workforce Certification 2.0 program.
Presenters cited practical examples, including using existing training transport to move equipment to Albania and Tennessee National Guard coordination with Washington’s Guard when Bulgaria needed Stryker platforms outside Tennessee’s force structure.
Mamaux said growth will stay limited. “Under our current strategic policy, we anticipate accepting only two to three new partnerships per year. Every pairing must offer a clear benefit to United States national security interests and align with the NDS.”
He also pressed for measurable results. “We must prove that our resources are aligned with the NDS lines of effort and provide a very clear return on our investment. Every dollar you spend across the program must be logical, transparent and benefit the American people.”
