Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine Mykola Balan has held an online working meeting with California National Guard Adjutant General David Baldwin to discuss areas for further cooperation.

According to the press service of the National Guard of Ukraine, during the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects for the training of officers and sergeants of the National Guard of Ukraine by the National Guard of California.

Baldwin said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, unfortunately, a number of important joint events were canceled, adding that their implementation will still happen with an improvement in the epidemiological situation. He said that the vaccination of their military personnel has already begun, and that they are ready to resume their cooperation with Ukraine in the same level, as well as expand it.

So, he assured that the planning of joint activities with the National Guard of Ukraine for the next two years has already begun. Particular attention is focused on planning the development of the National Guard of Ukraine in the long term and on training staff officers.

In particular, it is noted that the delegation of the California National Guard, headed by the commander, plans to visit Ukraine in the near future.

In turn, Balan emphasized the importance of cooperation with the California National Guard under the State Partnership Program (SPP) and proposed the beginning of cooperation between the Rapid Response Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine and the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the California National Guard in order to exchange experience, participate in joint exercises and jointly perform official -combat missions in the future.

"Since 2014 alone, the California National Guard has held 21 joint events with the National Guard of Ukraine ... Joint work on reforming the control system of the National Guard of Ukraine in order to achieve compatibility with the military formations of NATO member states was important," Balan said.

In total, since 1993, the California National Guard has organized and conducted 37 events of international cooperation with the National Guard of Ukraine, of which 21 are of an educational nature.