Combatant commanders: National Guard builds global partnerships, proven on battlefield

Command Sgt. Maj. John Swart, senior enlisted leader with the North Carolina National Guard, talks with a Botswana Defence Force soldier in a recent visit Swart made during a State Partnership Program engagement in the southern Africa country. North Carolina almost doubled its SPP engagements in 2013. As mobilizations overseas trend downward, the North Carolina Guard has used their SPP relationships as one tool to sustain readiness and training proficiency. (Photo courtesy of North Carolina National Guard)