Illinois National Guard Launches Partnership with Portugal in January

SPRINGFIELD  — Starting January 1, the Illinois National Guard will partner with the Portuguese Armed Forces through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. The new agreement will support joint training and cooperation in areas like cyber defense, disaster response, agriculture, and environmental research. The partnership builds on Illinois’ long-running collaboration with Poland under the same program and adds to a growing network that connects U.S. states with countries around the world to support shared security and civilian goals.