State Partnership Program

The U.S. National Guard’s State Partnership Program links a state’s National Guard, an arm of the Department of Defense, with a partner nation’s military, security forces, and disaster response organizations in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship.

The partnership between Maryland and Estonia, which began in 1993, was originally designed to strengthen military-to-military ties between the United States and newly independent Estonia as it transitioned from Soviet to democratic rule. The ties established then remain strong today, signified by the continued cooperation between the Maryland National Guard and Estonian Defense League and Defense Forces.

 

Maryland-Estonia Partner Cities 

The civilian side of the partnership is the Sister Cities program, which fosters links between people. For a list of current Sister City relationships between Maryland and Estonian cities and counties, please visit the website for the Maryland-Estonia Exchange Council, the organization that officially coordinates civilian ties between the two areas.