WASHINGTON—Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs Chairman William Timmons (R-S.C.) delivered opening remarks today at a hearing titled “The National Guard State Partnership Program: Strengthening U.S. Security, One Partnership at a Time.” In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Timmons highlighted the global impact and success of the National Guard State Partnership Program (SPP) to strengthen security. Subcommittee Chairman Timmons also remarked that Congress must reassess the funding and resources provided to the SPP to support its vital mission domestically and abroad.
Below are Subcommittee Chairman Timmons’s prepared remarks:
Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us today to discuss one of the Department of Defense’s most effective, yet often overlooked, tools of soft power: the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, or SPP.
Since its founding in 1993 as a post-Cold War initiative, the SPP has been instrumental in fostering close military relationships with foreign nations and allies all around the world.
Currently, the program boasts over one hundred partnerships throughout every Geographic Combatant Command.
From Eastern Europe to the islands in the South Pacific, the State Partnership Program has helped the United States deter our adversaries, enhance allied interoperability, and promote regional stability.
It is my hope that this hearing will demonstrate the global impact of this essential program, and to provide subcommittee members the opportunity to have any questions or concerns answered by the subject matter experts we have before us today.
However, as with most defense programs, this program also brings complexity and the opportunity for waste, fraud, and abuse.
A 2022 Government Accountability Office report found that DOD and the National Guard Bureau faced serious challenges in tracking completed activities and clarifying legal authorities to partner nations.
While the Committee has been assured that these issues have since been resolved, and the Department has satisfied all GAO’s recommendations, I am curious about ways Congress can help continue the success of this program and help prevent any future issues.
Additionally, I am curious to hear from our witnesses how these valuable partnerships stay aligned with the Administration’s national security priorities as well as how successful outcomes are tracked and measured.
Finally, we must assess the resources that are provided to the program. Currently, the SPP’s budget is just one percent of the overall defense security cooperation budget but accounts for almost thirty percent of all Geographic Combatant Command engagements with partners and allies.
It is my hope that this hearing will bring to light the need for enhanced funding for the State Partnership Program and the vital mission it supports.
I look forward to hearing from today’s witnesses and I want to thank them again for appearing before us today.