FOR RELEASE: July 26, 2026
CONTACT: Colorado National Guard Public Affairs, 720-250-1053, ng.co.coarng.list.militarysupport@army.mil
Switzerland and Colorado mark first anniversary of partnership at proclamation ceremony
By Colorado National Guard Public Affairs
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – The Colorado National Guard will host the Swiss Confederation for an executive leadership engagement and proclamation exchange ceremony to commemorate the established partnership between the CONG and the Swiss Defense Forces.
A proclamation signing ceremony with officials from Switzerland and Colorado will occur July 28, 2026, at 11 a.m. at the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion, in Denver.
The Swiss delegation will include the Swiss Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Ralf Heckner, and the Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Benedikt Roos.
“This is the anniversary of one strong year of friendship and collaboration between the state of Colorado and Switzerland,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis. “Our National Guard members play such an important role in protecting our state at home and supporting our partners abroad. I’m excited by our partnership and ability to support one another in strengthening key capabilities and security, as well as to build closer ties between Switzerland and Colorado.”
The U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein, Callista L. Gingrich, will also be in attendance.
Switzerland and Colorado have in common not only geography and demographics but also cultural, economic, historical and technological bonds. Both states lie at the heart of continents and are centers for technology, trade, defense and finance.
“The Colorado National Guard is proud to be partners with the Swiss Confederation,” said The Adjutant General of Colorado U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Davis. “We are excited to host the Swiss delegation and continue strengthening our shared defense expertise.”
Colorado has participated in the National Guard State Partnership Program since its inception in 1993. The SPP was initially developed to assist 13 countries emerging from behind the Iron Curtain. That was when Colorado and the Republic of Slovenia partnered. Colorado also became the SPP partner for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 2004, marking the first SPP in the Levant Region of the Middle East. Through consistent engagement and mutual trust-building activities, Colorado is experienced in cultivating enduring partnerships that reach the highest echelons of its partner nations’ ministries of defense.
With the addition of Switzerland, the SPP now includes 116 nations and the National Guard of every U.S. state and territory. The SPP is a cost-effective and key U.S. security cooperation tool that facilitates collaboration across all aspects of civil-military affairs and bolsters capabilities, improves interoperability, and enhances principles of responsible governance. The SPP gives partners access to defense capabilities on a scale that is more in line with that of military institutions in partner countries. These partnerships demonstrate a consistent and persistent form of commitment to nations to expand their own security ties.