Serbian Military Hospital Staff tour Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center during DoD-sponsored visit to Ohio

The group toured medical center departments unique to their individual medical expertise including Intensive Care, Orthopedics, Urology, Ophthalmology and the new emergency department here. They were invited to the Cleveland VAMC by Col. Richard Pulice, commander, 121st Medical Group, Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, who also works for VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System as a physician assistant in Gastroenterology. 

“The 18-year relationship of the SPP [State Partnership Program] between Ohio and the Republic of Serbia continues to strengthen due to opportunities, where we can visit each other’s countries, give tours of our facilities, and have open dialogue on best practices to treat medical issues unique to the military population,” Pulice said. “It is through these relationships that we can expand friendships with other countries both within and outside of NATO.”

The Ohio National Guard and the Serbian Armed Forces are marking their 18th year of participation in SPP. More than 100 nations participate in the cooperative, mutually beneficial program and are paired with 54 participating state and/or territory national guard units. The SPP is a flexible, innovative, cost-effective mechanism to support combatant commands, U.S. embassies and partner nation objectives while building relationships, improving interoperability and increasing readiness of both U.S. and partner forces to meet emerging challenges. 

When the partnership between the Ohio National Guard and the Republic of Serbia was first established in 2006, the focus was to develop a military partnership that would benefit both entities. Today, the partnership has transcended military training into relationships that will last long into the future.