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Two Decades of Military Cooperation
The cooperation between the Ohio National Guard and the Serbian Armed Forces was officially established on September 7, 2006, when an agreement was signed between the State of Ohio, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Republic of Serbia within the framework of the Department of Defense State Partnership Program (SPP).
For nearly two decades, the SPP has aimed to build long-term professional and institutional ties between partner militaries through regular exchanges, joint training activities, exercises, and strategic dialogue. In the Serbian case, the partnership with Ohio has become one of the most intensive and comprehensive examples of U.S. military engagement with a formally militarily neutral state outside NATO.
This cooperation is a model for the U.S. to circumvent NATO in exercising influence in Serbia, says Dr. Biser Banchev, a leading expert at the Institute of Balkan Studies with a Center for Thracology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Militarily neutral Serbia, which is not a NATO member, has opportunities for security cooperation with the United States, ranging from bilateral meetings, internships and visits by civilian leaders to full-fledged military exercises. The Ohio National Guard offers the Serbian armed forces training, interoperability in aviation, engineering troops and cyber defense forces.
The training includes engineering tasks – from building camp facilities and roads to practical work on training ground infrastructure, which increases operational capabilities and technical competence.
Extraterritoriality – advantages and problems
The State Partnership Program is implemented on the basis of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), signed in Washington on 7 September 2006.
Under SOFA, U.S. military personnel participating in exercises on Serbian territory enjoy extraterritorial status, including full diplomatic immunity. A particularly controversial clause is found in Article 13, paragraph 2, which states that if Serbia and the United States become parties to future agreements that contradict SOFA, the provisions of SOFA shall prevail.
Critics argue that this clause effectively limits Serbia’s ability to conclude similar arrangements with other partners, such as the Russian Federation. According to these critics, the inclusion of such an uncommon provision suggests that the Serbian side may have faced significant political pressure during negotiations.
Kosovo Factor and Security Calculations
According to Dr. Biser Banchev, Serbia’s military cooperation with the US is seen by the Belgrade authorities as a guarantee for the physical protection of the lives and property of the Serbian population in Kosovo. More than 600 American soldiers are participating in the multinational military formation KFOR in Kosovo, and they have the right to pass through Serbia undisturbed.
From this perspective, cooperation with the United States is seen less as a geopolitical choice and more as a pragmatic security calculation linked to Kosovo’s stability.
Continuity and Intensity of Cooperation
The Ohio–Serbia partnership is characterized by exceptional continuity. The SPP framework enables approximately 60 joint events annually, most of them held on Serbian territory. Key elements include:
- annual joint military exercises with increasing scope and complexity;
- regular participation of the Ohio National Guard in Serbia’s multinational exercise Platinum Wolf, focused on peacekeeping interoperability;
- since 2023, annual Serbian Armed Forces exercises conducted in Ohio.
Notably, unlike earlier joint drills with the Russian Armed Forces, these exercises receive limited public attention within Serbia.
Joint training activities are conducted at facilities such as the Borovac Training Area, used for Serbian units and international partners.
High-level military visits form a core component of cooperation:
- September 2024: An Ohio National Guard delegation led by its commander, Major General John Harris, visited Serbia, including meetings with members of parliament, attendance at a military parade, and participation in the Zastava 2024 defense exhibition.
- July 2025: Brigadier General Andrew Stone, commander of Ohio National Guard Special Forces, visited Serbia, including the Third Brigade in Niš.
- September 2025: Brigadier General Matthew S. Woodruff, commander of the Ohio Air National Guard, visited Belgrade at the invitation of Serbian Chief of General Staff General Milan Mojsilović and was received by President Aleksandar Vučić.
The Niš “Constantine the Great” Airport plays an important logistical role. In September 2025, a KC-135R Stratotanker flew from Columbus Rickenbacker International Airport (Ohio) to Niš, which also hosts elements of the Serbian Air Force.
Cyber cooperation is another strategic pillar. Since 2016, the annual Cyber Tesla exercises have been held, usually in September. Serbian military cyber specialists regularly visit Ohio to exchange experience with U.S. cyber units, focusing on:
- network protection,
- cyber defense training,
- public-private cooperation models in cybersecurity.
A Model of Military-Civilian Fusion
The partnership between the Ohio National Guard and the Serbian Armed Forces is an example of long-term, multi-layered military and civil-military cooperation that goes beyond the simple exchange of military skills. Through professional exchanges, the United States expands its regional influence, and the Serbian Armed Forces increase its military capabilities, especially in engineering operations, peacekeeping, cybersecurity and improving interoperability with partner forces.
The program also benefits Serbia in the development of civil-military relations and education. It includes student and academic exchange initiatives, as well as cooperation with educational institutions (ministries and universities) to develop civilian aspects of cooperation beyond the strictly military framework.
Political Dimension
The strategic importance of the partnership is underscored by political engagement. In November 2025, U.S. Congressman Michael Turner, representing Ohio (former Chair of the House Intelligence Committee and also former President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly), visited Belgrade—another signal that Washington continues to prioritize Serbia as a key regional partner despite its non-NATO status.
Through the Ohio National Guard partnership, Serbia has developed a de facto pathway to NATO standards without formal accession. The cooperation demonstrates how the United States uses sub-national military partnerships to achieve strategic objectives, while allowing Serbia to preserve the narrative of military neutrality—at least formally.
