Ohio Guard, Partner Serbia Share Cybersecurity Expertise Published March 22, 2024 By Senior Airman Ivy Thomas, 121st Air Refueling Wing RICKENBACKER AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ohio - The Ohio National Guard invited Serbian Armed Forces cyber professionals to collaborate with Ohio cyber organizations across the state as part of the State Partnership Program March 5. During their visit, the Serbians collaborated with cyber military members from the wings around Ohio, the Ohio Cyber Reserve, and the Ohio Cyber Range Institute to learn more about how cybersecurity runs in Ohio and how they can implement it in Serbia. The SPP is a collaboration between the National Guard units of each state and nations from different parts of the world. Its goal is to enhance regional security, promote U.S. interests, and establish lasting relationships that foster interoperability and readiness. The Ohio National Guard is partnered with the Republic of Serbia and Hungary. “Working to secure networks against attacks is a worldwide problem,” said retired Army Col. Craig Baker, the Ohio Cyber Reserve program administrator. “The State Partnership Program allows us to work with the Serbians and help them improve their network cybersecurity, which is a win for all of us.” Along with collaborating with these cyber organizations, the Serbians visited the 121st Air Refueling Wing, toured the KC-135 Stratotanker, and the Boom Operator Simulation System and pilot simulator. “The Serbian delegation found the presentation of Ohio’s national public-private partnership practices and experiences particularly valuable,” said Col. Dragan Mladenoviс́, a Serbian Armed Forces cyber professional. “These experiences can provide a significant contribution to the development of Serbia’s own cybersecurity capacities and capabilities.” Baker said the meeting of cyber experts helped Serbia and Ohio. “We can share our ideas and they can do the same for us, which helps all of us in this fight against cyber attacks,” Baker said.