UKRAINE and US 'boy scouts'

California has worked with Ukrainian troops Guido J. Portante Jr., Special to The Desert Sun 6:43 p.m. PDT July 26, 2014 After the breakup of the Soviet Union between 1989 and 1991, the leadership of our country in the Defense Department and the administration saw an opportunity to keep those countries that were once a part of the Soviet Union and newly independent on the path to democracy. Further, they wanted to minimize instability in the region by supporting the principals of responsible government within those countries. In the early 1990s, a national program called Partnership for Peace, now called State Partnership Program, was established by our government. The State Partnership Program is an innovative program managed by the National Guard Bureau given to each participating state to execute. The State Partnership Program is an extraordinary effort by the U.S. to familiarize newly independent countries with American values and principles, to include law, public safety, agriculture, business, and military capabilities and training. Further, helping to build long-term national security strength for the newly independent nation’s we partnered with. In this process, we strengthened the national security of the United States. And, we built a coalition of forces that are mutually supportive to each other. California has been aligned with the country of Ukraine since 1993. Many states throughout our country and their National Guards are aligned with countries such as Alabama with Romania, Georgia with Georgia. There are currently 48 states that are aligned with countries of the old Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact countries and the debunked country of Yugoslav. [Debunked Yugoslavia?] Countless exercises revolving around peace keeping, homeland defense, military and cultural exchanges have been conducted. The National Guard’s dual federal and state mission make this program ideal for guard units to promote democratic institutions at the national, state and local levels of governments. The National Guard of each state is responsible to the federal government in time of war and national emergency. It also is responsible to each state governor for state emergencies such as natural disasters or civil unrest. The latter is important in working with partnered countries. I had an opportunity to train with the military members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and with Ukraine’s political leaders. We developed programs that were conducted both in the Ukraine and in California. Integrated into these military exercise, were cultural exchanges between the two partners. These exercises shared lessons learned, ideas and concepts of both cultures. They promoted the American way of life, while taking into consideration those issues facing a new independent country on the road to democracy. The success of this program lies in the partnered nation’s participation when fighting alongside of us in Iraq and Afghanistan. The cost to partner in the State Partnership Program has been low and has paid dividends. With our continued sharing of interpersonal relationships with each partnered country, we can enhance each newly independent nations chance to succeed at democracy, freedom and the ability to prosper as a people and a nation. When individuals get to know each other while sharing the belief for freedom and democracy we begin to find out that as people we are all cut from the same mold. Getting along becomes much easier. For those who might want to tear us apart, the job becomes harder. Guido J. Portante Jr. of Rancho Mirage is a retired U.S. Army brigadier general. http://www.desertsun.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/07/26/california-worked-ukraine-troops/13227433/

PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE

Partnership for Peace
[wikipedia]

Blue      = NATO (1994)
Orange = Partnership for Peace (PfP)
Green    = Current NATO members (former PfP members)
Red        = aspiring PfP states [wikipedia]

The Partnership for Peace (PfP) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) program aimed at creating trust between NATO and other states in Europe and the former Soviet Union; 22 states are members.  It was first discussed by the Bulgarian Society Novae, after proposed as an American initiative at the meeting of NATO ... in 1993, and formally launched ... January 1994 (NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium). [wikipedia]

Partnership for Peace is now:  the State Partnership Program (SPP) - here.


Following is a list of other partners to the US State Partnership Program:

(transcribed from Wikipedia)

Bahamas (C'wealth) Bangladesh Belize Bolivia Botswana Cambodia Chile Columbia Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Ghana Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Indonesia Jamaica (C'wealth) Jordan Kazakhstan Kyrgyz Republic

Liberia  Mongolia Morocco Nicaragua Nigeria Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines Senegal South Africa Suriname Tajikistan Thailand Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands

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COMMENT

Partnership for Peace (now 'State Partnership Program') sounds like an altruistic US government sponsored 'boy scouts' mission spreading the message, getting together to grow, share, develop and commune with underprivileged and unenlightened 'boys' from all over the world.

But, hey, there's dividends to be had by the US, at a bargain basement low outlay.

I'd wager that these US dividends are enormous.

The Program is seen to:

• Strengthen national security of the US.
• Build a 'coalition of forces' for mutual support.
• Be ideal for promotion of 'democratic institutions' at NATIONAL, STATE and LOCAL levels of external participating governments.

The Program also happens to:

• Provide MILITARY connections.
• POLITICAL leader connections.
• Afford promotion of 'the American way of life' -- and, let's be real -- whatever the US agenda wishes to promote.

The article indicates involving participating nations in supporting US military causes and actions is key to the success of the Program.

And there's plenty to be said for making individual connections that the Program affords.

It looks like the US has been dabbling (with this single arm of the worldwide dabbling machine) in Europe since the early 1990s -- and in Ukraine since 1993.

Is anybody else blown away by that?  

It means that the US (and its agenda) has had 20 years to gain -- and execute -- influence at a military, political, individual or personal, cultural, government, national, state and local level, in the Ukraine.

It looks like there's something to be said for these evangelistic 'boy scout' missions beyond borders and, yes, they most definitely pay dividends given enough time communing around 'Camp US Love-in'.