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Air National Guard, Royal Thai Air Force finalize plans for Enduring Partners 2024

  • Published
  • By Joseph Siemandel
  • Joint Force Headquarters - Washington National Guard
CAMP MURRAY, Wash. --  

CAMP MURRAY, Wash. -- Building off of the success of the first-ever Enduring Partners engagement, teams with the Washington Air National Guard and the Royal Thai Air Force took part in the final planning conference for exercise Enduring Partners 2024.

“This exercise last year caught the attention of a lot of people, including people in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill,” said Brig. Gen. Gent Welsh, commander of the Washington Air National Guard.

In September 2023, Airmen with the Washington National Guard’s 141st Air Refueling Wing and the Oregon National Guard’s 142nd Wing participated in the first ever Enduring Partners engagement with the Royal Thai Air Force at Korat Royal Thai Air Base in Thailand. The Department of Defense's National Guard State Partnership Program engagement aimed at improving combat readiness and combined interoperability between participants, while enhancing the relationship and State Partnership Program between the Washington Air National Guard and the Royal Thai Air Force.

Approximately 230 U.S. Airmen participated in last year’s engagement, which focused primarily on developing advanced fighter tactics, ground controlled intercept, and aerial refueling efforts. The 2024 Enduring Partners exercise will focus on a number of various engagements including cyber, homeland assistance disaster response, medical, joint terminal air control and ground-controlled interception.

“In some of my meetings talking about Enduring Partners I was asked what we could add to the engagement,” said Welsh. “This relationship really started with cyber engagements and we have grown this into something unique.”

Exercise Enduring Partners 2024 will include Airmen with the Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii Air National Guard collaborating with the Royal Thai Air Force. In addition, Airmen with the Montana, Idaho, and Arkansas Air National Guard will potentially participate as well. 

“This will exercise the State Partnership Program’s inter-state collaboration and engagement while increasing training potential and capacity,” said Welsh. “It will also continue to build upon our three pillars, advocacy, access and relationships.”

During the visit to Washington, Royal Thai Air Force members and Washington Air National Guard members discussed final plans before the exercise, toured the Western Air Defense Sector and the 194th Wing, and then participated in cultural exchanges.

Enduring Partners 2024 will feature more than 30 Guard members from Washington traveling to Thailand for engagements with units in Thailand, while more than 30 members from the Royal Thai Air Force fly to Washington to engage with Guard members at the Western Air Defense Sector, 194th Air Refueling Wing and 141st Air Refueling Wing.

“We will execute simultaneous engagements in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Thailand,” said Welsh. “We see Enduring Partners as a chance to grow the program and continue to build off the successes we have had in the past, while developing stronger relationships for the future.”