Targeted News Service
June 15, 2012 Friday 7:50 AM EST
Armenian Delegation will Visit Kansas National Guard in Topeka and Salina
TOPEKA, Kan.
The Kansas Adjutant General issued the following news release:
Two representatives from the Republic of Armenia will visit Kansas
June 18-21 as part of the State Partnership Program.
On Monday and Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Ishkhan Matevosyan, head of Combat
Readiness Department, and Col. Gevorg Hakobyan, chief of
Noncommissioned Officer Development Branch, Combat Readiness
Department, will meet with senior leaders of the Kansas National Guard
in Topeka to learn about the force structure of the Kansas National
Guard and some of its programs.
"Armenia is in the process of transitioning from a conscripted
military force to one that has a professional noncommissioned officer
corps," explained Lt. Col. Brent Salmans, director, Kansas National
Guard State Partnership Program. "The Kansas National Guard is part of
a consortium with the U.S. Marine Corps, the United Kingdom's Royal
Marines and the RAND Corporation to assist the Armenian Ministry of
Defense with this major transition to its force."
Salmans said the Armenian delegation will receive briefings and
discuss the roles and responsibilities of staff noncommissioned
officers. Specific emphasis will be on personnel management and
operations and training, along with enlisted promotions, selections
and assignment processes and the noncommissioned officer education
system.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Matevosyan and Hakobyan will travel to
Salina to observe training at the Great Plains Joint Training Center.
The Armenians will also be given a tour of the facility and later will
visit the Officer Candidate School at the 235th Training Regiment to
learn about the roles of officers and noncommissioned officers in the
tactical environment. They will participate in a roundtable discussion
on the command team concept, which highlights the commander and senior
noncommissioned officer relationship.
Kansas has been partnered with Armenia under the program since 2003.
"We've had many productive exchanges with our Armenian friends over
the years," said Maj. Gen. (KS) Lee Tafanelli, the adjutant general.
"We've learned a lot from each other and built many good relationships
in both the military and civilian sectors. I'm sure we'll continue to
build more in the years to come."
The National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program links the
National Guard of participating states with developing nations to
foster mutually beneficial military-to-military, military-to-civilian,
and civilian-to-civilian relationships. Kansas and Armenia conduct 15
to 20 engagements a year focusing on a variety of professional fields
such as emergency response, law enforcement, medical training, and
military operations.
Contact: Sharon Watson, Director, Public Affairs, 785/274-1192,
785/806-4063, http://www.kansastag.gov
June 15, 2012 Friday 7:50 AM EST
Armenian Delegation will Visit Kansas National Guard in Topeka and Salina
TOPEKA, Kan.
The Kansas Adjutant General issued the following news release:
Two representatives from the Republic of Armenia will visit Kansas
June 18-21 as part of the State Partnership Program.
On Monday and Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Ishkhan Matevosyan, head of Combat
Readiness Department, and Col. Gevorg Hakobyan, chief of
Noncommissioned Officer Development Branch, Combat Readiness
Department, will meet with senior leaders of the Kansas National Guard
in Topeka to learn about the force structure of the Kansas National
Guard and some of its programs.
"Armenia is in the process of transitioning from a conscripted
military force to one that has a professional noncommissioned officer
corps," explained Lt. Col. Brent Salmans, director, Kansas National
Guard State Partnership Program. "The Kansas National Guard is part of
a consortium with the U.S. Marine Corps, the United Kingdom's Royal
Marines and the RAND Corporation to assist the Armenian Ministry of
Defense with this major transition to its force."
Salmans said the Armenian delegation will receive briefings and
discuss the roles and responsibilities of staff noncommissioned
officers. Specific emphasis will be on personnel management and
operations and training, along with enlisted promotions, selections
and assignment processes and the noncommissioned officer education
system.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Matevosyan and Hakobyan will travel to
Salina to observe training at the Great Plains Joint Training Center.
The Armenians will also be given a tour of the facility and later will
visit the Officer Candidate School at the 235th Training Regiment to
learn about the roles of officers and noncommissioned officers in the
tactical environment. They will participate in a roundtable discussion
on the command team concept, which highlights the commander and senior
noncommissioned officer relationship.
Kansas has been partnered with Armenia under the program since 2003.
"We've had many productive exchanges with our Armenian friends over
the years," said Maj. Gen. (KS) Lee Tafanelli, the adjutant general.
"We've learned a lot from each other and built many good relationships
in both the military and civilian sectors. I'm sure we'll continue to
build more in the years to come."
The National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program links the
National Guard of participating states with developing nations to
foster mutually beneficial military-to-military, military-to-civilian,
and civilian-to-civilian relationships. Kansas and Armenia conduct 15
to 20 engagements a year focusing on a variety of professional fields
such as emergency response, law enforcement, medical training, and
military operations.
Contact: Sharon Watson, Director, Public Affairs, 785/274-1192,
785/806-4063, http://www.kansastag.gov