LANG welcomes Belize military for training rotation
By: Sgt. 1st Class Scott D. Longstreet, Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office
PINEVILLE, La.– The Louisiana Army National Guard welcomed service members from the country of Belize to participate in a training rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, May 24 – June 14.
“The 143 service members from Belize, consisting of 117 Belize Defence Force and 26 Belize Coast Guard arrived at Fort Johnson to train alongside the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team,” said Chief Warrant Officer Three Allen D. West, Louisiana National Guard State Partnership Program director. “During the rotation, units were responsible for the Foreign Service Forces mission while also providing a platoon to support an opposing force mission as part of the exercise.”
Louisiana and Belize have been partnered together as part of the State Partnership Program since April of 1996. Training missions like this provide a realistic interoperability mission for both Belize and the LANG.
Since this partnership began, the two countries have participated in nearly 300events. In the initial mission in 1996, the LANG helped build three schools in the communities of Biscayne, Crooked Tree and Orange Walk, Belize. Then in 1997, the LANG helped to construct eight schools and public buildings, as well as to improve ten miles of heavily traveled roads. The partnership has continued to grow and thrive from there to present day military training missions.
The purpose of the SPP is to foster mutual interests and establish habitual long-term relationships across all levels of society. The program encourages the development of economic, political and military ties between the states and partner nations. It has also allowed several unique opportunities to share in combined operations together.
The SPP synchronizes states and countries to develop military-to-military and interagency operations. There are 76 countries across the globe partnered with 70 unique security partnerships.