From left to right, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Greg Cerullo,

From left to right, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Greg Cerullo, New Jersey State Partnership Program Director, U.S. Navy Cdr. James Hilton, U.S. Defense Attache to Albania, Brig. Gen. Ndricim Sallaku, Albanian Support Battalion Commander, Olta Xhacka, Albanian Minister of Defense, Sgt. Christopher M. Schwear, Black Hawk crew chief, Col. Ardian Bali, Albanian Defense Attache to the U.S., and Florian Kali, Albanian General Director of Defense Policy stand for a portrait in front of a New Jersey National Guard UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter before a flight at the New jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs campus, Lawrenceville, N.J., April 17, 2019. In 2001, The Republic of Albania signed a bilateral affairs agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense and the state of New Jersey thus officially establishing the New Jersey-Albanian State Partnership Program. The National Guard State Partnership Program is a U.S. Department of Defense program managed by the National Guard that links U.S. States with partner countries around the world for the purpose of supporting the security cooperation objectives of the geographic Combatant Commanders. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht)