State Partnership Program: Improved Oversight, Guidence, and Training Needed for National Guard's Efforts with Foreign Partners

The State Partnership Program grew from the former Joint Contact Team Program, a program comprised of active component personnel that sought to establish professional contacts between the U.S. military and the militaries of newly independent nations of the former Soviet Union. The Joint Contact Team Program was intended to promote subordination to civilian leadership, respect for human rights, and a defensively oriented military posture.