Special to American Forces Press Service
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J., Dec. 5, 2008 – The New Jersey National Guard is celebrating the 15th anniversary of its alliance with the republic of Albania through the State Partnership Program.
The State Partnership Program, launched by the National Guard Bureau and the U.S. State Department in the 1990s, was started to foster alliances between U.S. states and former Soviet countries, officials said.
Soldiers and airmen with the New Jersey National Guard have worked with their counterparts in Albania since 1993 to modernize the former communist nation\’s defense forces and prepare it for membership in NATO.
Albania is scheduled to join the 26-nation alliance in April.
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