An agreement on participating in the Montana National Guard State Partnership Program has been signed between the Ministry of Defense and the US government.

The signing ceremony was held at MNDF Integrated Headquarters on Monday. Defense Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi signed the agreement on behalf of the Maldives government and Adjutant General of Montana National Guard Major General John Hronek from the US side.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Mariya Didi said that the US State Partnership Program will go a long way in building the capacity and readiness of the Maldivian Defence Sector to meet today's challenges.

In her speech, Minister Mariya said the Maldives' enrolment in the prestigious program is one solid outcome of the Framework Agreement signed in September 2020, which formalized the way forward in cementing US-Maldives Defence and Security cooperation.

"Today, by enrolling in this Program, we are reiterating our commitment to the deepening of the US-Maldives Defence and Security relationship, which has grown tremendously over the past 3 years," said Minister Mariya.

The Montana National Guard State Partnership Program is tailored to meet the unique requirements of Maldives' defense and security landscape, by facilitating engagements in key areas such as Maritime Domain Awareness, Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Relief, Cyber Defense and Communication Security, Aviation Security Operations, Leadership Development, Military Medical, and Engineer Activities, Operational Logistics and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Environmental Defense and Response.