The U.S. Embassy in Portugal has announced the establishment of a State Partnership Program (SPP) between the Illinois National Guard and the Portuguese Armed Forces. This collaboration features potential areas of cooperation such as enhancing mutual cybersecurity capabilities to address national and regional threats, increasing interagency coordination, and crisis response support alongside disaster preparedness.
The partnership will also develop “space operational capabilities,” utilize “complementary strengths in agriculture, infrastructure, and academia,” and conduct “joint environmental research initiatives in soil management and water use.”
The statement highlights the enduring security relationship between the United States and Portugal, both founding members of NATO, underscoring a steadfast commitment to global security rooted in decades of shared partnerships and global deployments. Portugal’s strategic location and contributions to NATO missions are noted as crucial to safeguarding transatlantic security.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is quoted, emphasizing that “Illinois is the clear choice for this new partnership with Portugal.” The statement notes that approximately 12,000 Portuguese-Americans reside in Illinois, including over 13% of the population of Sammons Point in Kankakee County.
The Portuguese Ministry of Defense is quoted, stating, “Our cooperation with the United States is longstanding, credible, and strong. We are very honored to establish this partnership between the Illinois National Guard and the Portuguese Armed Forces. We are committed to further deepening our enduring relationship.”
Portugal and the United States were among the founding members of NATO, signing the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949, in Washington. Other founding countries include Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
