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And the winner is...
New Jersey's top enlisted recognized

New Jersey's top Army and Air Guard enlisted were recognized at the 36th Annual Enlisted Conference. Picture with Maj. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth, left, and retired Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Hughes, right, are, left to right, Staff Sgt. Jason Montgomery accepting for Sgt. Monica G. Montgomery assigned to the Joint Training and Training Development Center was the recipient of the SGM Harry Arbeitman Outstanding Non-Commissioned Officer (Army) award; Master Sgt. June I. Kelly, 177th Fighter Wing, received the CSMSgt Edward W. Wolbert Outstanding First Sergeant (Air) awardee; Senior Airman Darnell A. Holmes with the 108th Wing was awarded the MSgt John F. Bodine Outstanding Airman; Spc. Randy Pearce of the 328th Military Police Company was the SFC Robert G. Vuinovich Outstanding Soldier; and 1st Sgt. Mark Rizzo with the 102nd Reconnaissance, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition was the CSM Wilfred Z. Lea Outstanding First Sergeant (Army). Not pictured is Master Sgt. Malakatu Saleem-Maing of the 108th Wing who received the CMSgt Richard W. Spencer Outstanding Non-Commissioned Officer (Air) award. Courtesy Photo.
ENZ COMPLETES ALBANIAN TOUR

In September 2010 Capt. Derek Enz will wrap up his 24- month tour of duty in Albania as the Bilateral Affairs Officer to Albania.

During his tenure, Enz worked alongside a career Foreign Affairs Officer in reshaping U.S. policy in the small country located just east of Italy. The partnership between New Jersey and Albania saw the execution of more than 60 military-tomilitary and civilian-to-military engagements with a budget just under $750,000 making this one of the most cost effective, high impact programs in the European Command theater of operations. The Program has been realigned to meet Albania's growing requirements as the newest member of the NATO Alliance.

Enz's contributions to the U.S. Embassy and the Office of Defense Cooperation include realigning and restructuring the State Partnership Program by partnering the needs of Albania with the strengths of the New Jersey National Guard in the areas of military and civilian medical and law enforcement, coastal security, counter-drug awareness, recruiting and retention, non-commissioned officer development, excess munitions demilitarization, and disaster response management. He also played pivotal roles in the humanitarian assistance, foreign military sales and financing, defense reform, and political election observation programs during his time with the State Partnership Program Country Team.


Capt. Derek Enz, left; Idriz Konjari, center, Director of International Engagement and Lt. Col. Jeanne C. Wessel, right, State Partnership Program Coordinator during a meeting with the Albanian Minister of Defense on June 19, 2009. U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mark Olsen, 177FW/PA.
Albania's commitment to the NATO Alliance has been well received. Albania has provided more than 1,500 soldiers in support of the U.S. efforts in Iraq since 2003 and Afghanistan since 2001. Further cooperation between New Jersey and Albania will continue with agreements to conduct Operational Mentoring Liaison Teams in the near future.

The State Partnership Program between Albania and New Jersey allows New Jersey National Guard members to embed themselves in the partner country for the purpose of supporting the security cooperation objectives of the Combatant Commander. New Jersey and Albania recently celebrated their 15-year anniversary of security cooperation in December 2008. Enz will be replaced by Maj. Yvonne Mays of the New Jersey Air National Guard.

Table of Contents
Volume 35 Number 1 Staff / Information
     
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