Cyprus National Guard official conducts defense talks in the United States

From February 28 to March 3, 2026, Deputy Commander of the Cyprus National Guard, Major General Neofytos Pachoulides, led a delegation of General Staff officers on an official visit to the United States. During his time at the Pentagon, Major General Pachoulides held high-level meetings with the Deputy Chief of the National Guard Bureau, General Thomas M. Garden, and the Commander of the New Jersey National Guard, Brigadier General Yvonne L. Mays. The primary focus of these discussions was to evaluate specific proposals for enhanced military cooperation between the two nations. Additionally, the participants reviewed current geopolitical developments affecting security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region. This visit operates under the established Cyprus-US strategic defense cooperation framework. The official visit emphasized the role of the State Partnership Program (SPP) as the primary institutional mechanism for sustained long-term military collaboration.