Lt. Col. Eric Corder, assistant director of operations for the 225th Air Defense Squadron, discusses air defense intercept concepts with the Guatemalan Air Force as part of the State Partnership Program Aug. 25, 2017. The SPP links a state's National Guard with the armed forces of a partner country in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship by means of tailored, small footprint, high-impact security cooperation engagements that foster long-term enduring relationships with U.S. friends and allies around the world. The SPP arose from a 1991 U.S. European Command decision to pair reserve component soldiers and airmen with the armed forces of the then newly formed nations of the Baltic Region following the collapse of the Soviet Bloc.