Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, 32nd Infantry Division arrive Dec. 15, 1942 at Dubadura Air Strip, 8 miles south of Buna, New Guinea. The 2-127 Infantry currently serves in the Wisconsin National Guard as part of the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. US Army Signal Corps photo courtesy of the National Archives
The Wisconsin National Guard maintains an existing state partnership with Nicaragua, which began in 2003.
The State Partnership Program links individual states with armed forces of partner nations around the world to forge lasting cooperation, friendship, and mutually beneficial relationships.
The State Partnership Program began more than 25 years ago and now includes partnerships with more than 80 nations around the globe. The State Partnership Program evolved from a 1991 U.S. European Command decision to set up the Joint Contact Team Program in the Baltic Region with Reserve component Soldiers and Airmen. A subsequent National Guard Bureau proposal paired U.S. states with three nations emerging from the former Soviet Bloc and the State Partnership Program was born, becoming a key U.S. security cooperation tool, facilitating cooperation across all aspects of international civil-military affairs and encouraging people-to-people ties at the state level.
Soldiers of the 128th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division cross a bridge Nov. 17, 1942 across a creek between Warisota Plantation and Borio, New Guinea. The 128th Infantry currently serves in the Wisconsin National Guard as 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry. US Army Signal Corps photo courtesy of the National Archives
Through the program, the National Guard conducts military-to-military engagements in support of defense security goals but also leverages whole-of-society relationships and capabilities to facilitate broader interagency and corollary engagements spanning military, government, economic and social spheres. The partnership program creates a relationship in which states work with countries on a variety of levels via exchanges, shared knowledge, and resources.
According to Lt. Col. Derrek Schultheiss, the State Partnership Program Director for the Wisconsin National Guard, Papua New Guinea has special meaning to the Wisconsin National Guard.
“As we were developing the application packet, we put a heavy emphasis on our unique history with Papua New Guinea and the 32nd Infantry Division during the Second World War,” he said. “With this new partnership, we begin a new chapter in the story between Wisconsin and Papua New Guinea.”
During the war, troops from the Wisconsin National Guard’s famous 32nd “Red Arrow” Division earned accolades as it fought multiple brutal campaigns through Japanese-occupied New Guinea en route to spending 654 days in combat – more than any other division in the war. Red Arrow operations in New Guinea between 1942 and 1944 were highlighted by the liberation of Buna, the amphibious landing at Saidor, and the Battle of Madang. The Red Arrow – then made up of Soldiers from Michigan and Wisconsin – suffered thousands of casualties in New Guinea before operations concluded successfully and moved to the Philippines and ultimately to mainland Japan shortly after the war.
Four Red Arrow Soldiers, three of which were Wisconsinites, earned the Medal of Honor for their actions in New Guinea during World War II – all posthumously. That legacy continues today in the form of the Wisconsin National Guard’s 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
“Our Wisconsin National Guard is a tremendously professional force, and we look forward to many years of engagement with Papua New Guinea and the lessons and experiences we can exchange to benefit both their military forces and our own National Guard troops,” Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, said. “I applaud the many Soldiers and Airmen in the organization who worked diligently through the application process to bring this partnership to fruition, and I’m excited for this new mutually beneficial partnership with Papua New Guinea.”
The Wisconsin National Guard will continue its existing state partnership with Nicaragua, with whom it has conducted many mutually beneficial military-to-military engagements over the years focusing largely on disaster preparedness, planning, and responses.
The Wisconsin National Guard consists of nearly 10,000 Soldiers and Airmen, and it represents a force with significant international and domestic experience. More than 24,000 Wisconsin Guard members have deployed in support of overseas operations since September 11, 2001, and they have trained, fought, and advised in 28 countries since 2000. Simultaneously, the Wisconsin National Guard continues to answer the state’s call during natural and man-made emergencies such as wildfires, floods, hurricanes, civil disturbances, and other emergencies.
National Guard leaders intend to use the new partnership as a means of building capacity and readiness for both Wisconsin National Guard troops and military forces in Papua New Guinea.
