The scene was painfully familiar for Indiana National Guard officials.
Thousands of people, clutching their few possessions, had fled their war-torn homeland in search of safety. Mothers clutched young children, praying they’d see the rest of their family alive.
Through the last half of 2021, National Guard members had assisted as Afghan refugees came to Camp Atterbury in southern Johnson County escaping hardship and death. The same situation was now unfolding in Slovakia, this time with victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Hoosier soldiers want to help, said Maj. Gen. Dale Lyles, adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard.
“It restores a sense of hope in me that there are people, like those in Slovakia and those in Indiana, that want to help people who, by no fault of their own, find themselves in this situation,” he said. “It makes me proud to be a Hoosier and an American, and a general in the National Guard that can actually lend a hand to make things better for humanity.”
As Eastern Europe faces a humanitarian crisis, Lyles and an contingent of Indiana officials are offering their support and experiential knowledge to try and help. They have traveled to Slovakia, which has had a military, economic and social partnership with Indiana for nearly 30 years, to offer their expertise and pledge additional support.
The visit continues the Indiana National Guard’s expanded scope in times of crisis, including assisting during the coronavirus pandemic and resettling Afghan refugees.
“The Indiana National Guard has been involved in more non-standard missions over the past 2 1/2 years as I’ve seen in my 36 years of service,” Lyles said. “Now, we’ve partnered with Slovakia to see how we can help in the humanitarian crisis abroad.”
Since 1994, Indiana has been paired with Slovakia through the state partnership program. The program started with a 1991 U.S. European Command decision to set up a joint program in the Baltic Region after the fall of the Iron Curtain. A subsequent proposal by the National Guard Bureau paired states within the United States with three nations emerging from the former Soviet Bloc.
The goal was to facilitate cooperation across all aspects of international civil-military affairs, and encourage people-to-people ties at the state level.
Eighty-two partnerships have formed since that start. In addition to Slovakia, Indiana formed a pairing with the African nation of Niger in 2017.
Such pairings have become increasingly important, particularly in Slovakia, a region roiled by Russia’s war with Ukraine.
“It builds readiness for the Indiana National Guard, as well as for our partner nation,” Lyles said. “It strengthens the U.S. National Guard, the U.S. military as well as the Slovakian armed forces, both army and air, and strengthens our NATO alliance and makes us more prepared in Eastern Europe.”
Over the years, Indiana National Guard soldiers have traveled to Slovakia for military exercises and informational gatherings. One of the most significant has been the Slovak Shield, an annual multinational training exercise featuring soldiers from countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
Indiana National Guard soldiers often take part to conduct battle task and combat operations.
“We’ll be sending a battalion over here this year to participate in a command post exercise, to help the Slovaks and my battalion headquarters in the military decision-making process and how to maneuver units in Eastern Europe,” Lyles said.
The current trip to Slovakia features a contingent from Indiana including Lyles, Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers.
Gen. Daniel Zmeko, chief of defense for Slovakia, had visited Indiana in February, and met again with officials earlier this week. He and Lyles discussed issues surrounding the Slovakian Air Force transitioning from the MiG jet to F-16s, with the Indiana National Guard pledging to help with training and maintenance of the new planes.
The Indiana National Guard’s cyber battalion will also work more deeply with their counterparts in Slovakia to increase security.
“What I wanted to do was really sit down with him and start to frame how the Indiana National Guard can help the Slovaks during this time of extreme pressure on the military, as well as pressure on the non-governmental organizations that are helping with the humanitarian crisis,” Lyles said.
But one of the most pressing focuses of the trip has been on refugees.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, more than 250,000 refugees have flooded into the country.
The National Guard was instrumental in housing more than 7,200 refugees from Afghanistan at Camp Atterbury from September 2021 to early January. Indiana government and nonprofits were active in supporting the resettling efforts, and residents donated countless items to help.
“The governor is looking for ways to potentially help our partner nation Slovakia. He sees the advantage of being partnered with Slovakia not only through the military lens of the National Guard, but also as a key leader of a state that wants to help,” Lyles said.
The Hoosier delegation visited a refugee camp on Monday, delivering art supplies and athletic equipment to the camp’s approximately 300 children. They met with people — almost entirely women and children, as most Ukrainian men had stayed behind to fight.
These people are alone in a foreign country, wondering what will happen to them next, Lyles said.
“But through the greatness of the Slovaki hearts and the warmth and love being shown by the Slovakian people, they are safe and being taken care of while this war is prosecuted in the Ukraine,” he said.
Discussions will continue as officials work to determine what ways Indiana can assist in additional ways, Lyles said.
“It’s probably premature to talk about things we could help with, but we’re looking at things beyond just donating soccer balls and things like that. We want to keep doing that, but we want to see how we can help do things that are sustainable in the long term,” he said. “The pressure we’re seeing right now on the migration issue is probably going to continue.”
