Wisconsin National Guard

The trip was to embark on a week-long collaboration and subject matter expert exchange with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force under the State Partnership Program.

The partnership between the Wisconsin National Guard and Papua New Guinea, initiated in 2020, has seen significant strides with multiple key leader engagements and site visits aimed at bolstering bilateral relations.

This collaboration focused on security support and disaster response, marked a significant milestone in the growing relationship between the two nations.

Throughout 2023, the Wisconsin National Guard engaged in a range of initiatives, including military mobility, information exchanges, and military-to-military engagements in both Wisconsin and Papua New Guinea.

According to Major Jessica Kelly, the Wisconsin National Guard’s State Partnership Program coordinator, the visit was “amazing.”

“The intent of this visit was to build upon the medical introductory exchange that took place in the fiscal year 2022,” Kelly said.

Representatives from the Wisconsin National Guard traveled to Papua New Guinea in March to strengthen their partnership with the Papua New Guinea Defense Force under the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program.

The Wisconsin National Guard and PNG Defense Force partnership began in 2020 and supports U.S. Army Pacific and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command efforts to strengthen a free and open Indo-Pacific.

During World War II, the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Division, which consisted of all of the Wisconsin National Guard and some of the Michigan National Guard, engaged in intense fighting against the Japanese through multiple campaigns in Papua New Guinea.

The Buna Campaign in Oro Province was particularly brutal, and three Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers earned the Medal of Honor posthumously for their actions there. The Red Arrow engaged in other major campaigns in Papua New Guinea including in Saidor and Aitape.