US-Phl cooperation goes beyond military alliance

Earlier this week, I was invited as a special guest at a reception hosted by the US National Guard Bureau (NGB) chief, General Joseph Lengyel, and his charming wife Sally. The reception at Fort Lesley J. McNair was correspondingly held to celebrate the partnership between the Philippines, Hawaii and Guam via the “State Partnership Program” (SPP) spearheaded by the US Department of State and Department of Defense, and with us were Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and the State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Southeast Asia W. Patrick Murphy.

As chief of the NGB and member of the joint chiefs of staff, General Lengyel also serves as military advisor to President Donald Trump, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and the National Security Council. I had a very engaging conversation with the general who told me that he will be traveling to the Philippines on the first week of February for meetings with officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of Defense to discuss the SPP involving a wide range of issues that include humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR), as well as capacity building and security cooperation. The last time the general visited the Philippines was more than 30 years ago and so he is really looking forward to his upcoming trip which we anticipate to be very productive.

Filipinos are familiar with the National Guard and know it as a reserve military force whose members hold fulltime civilian jobs while serving part time as airmen or soldiers. People know that the National Guard (from 50 states plus the US territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico as well as the District of Columbia for a total of 54 separate units) can be called upon during times of crisis or natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.

However, not many Filipinos know about the State Partnership Program sponsored by the US Department of Defense with guidance from the foreign policy goals set by the State Department, and managed and administered by the National Guard Bureau that also provides the personnel.

The SPP came about in 1993 at the Baltic region in Europe (after the collapse of the former Soviet Union) when the US European Command decided to set up the “Joint Component Contact Team Program” made up of reserve component personnel as they were deemed to have a less aggressive posture and thus, would encourage security cooperation. A subsequent proposal by the National Guard Bureau to pair up NG units with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (nations that were formerly part of the USSR or the Soviet Union) gave birth to the SPP, which soon became a key security cooperation tool by the United States. Through the SPP, cooperation across all levels of international civil-military affairs are facilitated, and people-to-people ties at the state level are also enhanced and encouraged.

Simply put, the SPP pairs up specific National Guard units with a particular country for nation building and other activities aimed at strengthening linkages and security partnerships. In 2001, the SPP was established in the Philippines with the Guam and Hawaii National Guard units as partners. Underscoring the deep relations between our country and the United States is the fact that the SPP with the Philippines is the first and therefore the oldest in the Asia Pacific region.

Over the years, the Philippines has been one of the most active as far as the SPP is concerned. In September last year, air defense experts from the Hawaii Air National Guard (HIANG) shared air defense skill – the fifth time in a row – to members of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), with the level of engagement and interaction heightened as the focus has expanded to include training, checklists, procedures, and aerospace medicine (also known as flight or aviation medicine). Aside from discussions and Q & A sessions, these exchanges involve tours and inspections on air defense system components, with the focus going from the tactical to the operational and strategic.

One of the most tangible aspects of the SPP was demonstrated in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda when airmen and soldiers from the Hawaii National Guard and the Guam National Guard worked with elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to conduct a humanitarian assistance project by helping rebuild the Marasbaras National High School in Tacloban. Super Typhoon Yolanda – the strongest typhoon ever in history to make landfall and the fourth strongest storm ever recorded in the world – destroyed seven classrooms in three buildings. Let’s not also forget the timely arrival of the USS George Washington aircraft carrier that saved thousands of lives.

It took two months for the three buildings to be rehabilitated, with new roofs constructed, electrical and lighting fixtures installed, comfort rooms built, ceiling fans provided, etc. – but the impact is lifelong for the students who will all benefit from the project. As noted by the now retired Maj. Gen. Benny Paulino who was the Adjutant General of the Guam National Guard during that time, the school buildings represent “a new beginning” for the students of the public school who had to attend classes outdoors. “Education is not just the key to ensure the next generation prepares for the future, it’s the best indicator that a disaster area is turning normal,” also remarked then Hawaii National Guard Adjutant General Darryl Wong, who retired in 2015.

More than anything, such humanitarian projects demonstrate the life-changing impact of the partnership between the Philippines and the United States – one that has endured and gone way beyond our military alliance.