The United States Department of Defense State Partnership Program has been successfully building relationships for over 25 years and now includes 75 partnerships with 81 nations around the globe. SPP links a unique component of the Department of Defense - a state's National Guard - with the armed forces, or equivalent, of a partner country in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship. 

Established in 1993, the Arizona and Republic of Kazakhstan partnership is one of the original 13 partnerships of the program. Previous Kazakh visits to Arizona have included military police operations, vehicle maintenance support, aviation operations and aircraft maintenance, and non-commission officer development programs.  

In recognition of the 25 year commitment to the partnership, the Kazakhstan Ambassador to the United States visited Arizona during the Arizona National Guard Muster on Dec. 2, 2018. 

Members of the Arizona Guard have also visited Kazakhstan to participate in Exercise Steppe Eagle, an annual multinational training exercise focused on peacekeeping and peace support operations. 

As one of the standard models for state partnerships nationwide, the Arizona National Guard is full dedicated to the program’s success now and into the future.