In late January, amid the ceremonial exchange of Tequila and California wine, Maj. Gen. Matthew Beevers, Cal Guard’s adjutant general, and several senior leaders from Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense got down to business.
A few months prior, during an Oct. 28 Letter of Intent signing in Mexico City, both parties entered a formal relationship as part of the National Guard’s State Partnership Program (SPP). But in Sacramento, they began fleshing out what the operational phase of that partnership might look like moving forward.
“This visit reflects the practical nature of our partnership with Mexico — focused on building trust, strengthening interoperability, and developing a shared understanding of how we operate,” Beevers said a few days after the January visit. “These early engagements are how we set the conditions for meaningful cooperation under the State Partnership Program.”
The Cal Guard has been at the forefront of the National Guard State Partnership Program since its inception in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union, when 10 post-communist nations formally partnered with National Guard states for military training and mentorship. Through the SPP, the Cal Guard has been an active partner of Ukraine and Nigeria for decades. The commitment with Mexico, however, offers proximity and the promise of swift support.
“The California National Guard has a proven track record of keeping Californians safe and helping our neighbors when we receive the call,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom, in reference to the Mexican delegation’s recent visit to Sacramento.
The partnership, as outlined in the Letter of Intent, pledges mutual support in training, humanitarian assistance and public safety. At the center, however, lies disaster response. For Mexico and California, earthquakes, drought, landslides and wildfires loom large, their shared risks inviting a deeper cooperation.
“California’s partnership with Mexico strengthens our state’s ability to keep people safe during natural disasters and prevent transnational crime,” said Newsom.
The Cal Guard and Mexico have joined forces to face Mother Nature before. As recent as January 2025, Mexico deployed about 70 firefighters to Los Angeles to support wildfire efforts, there.
“Emergencies have no borders,” Newsom said at the time. “We are deeply grateful to our neighbors in Mexico for their unwavering support.”
Because the formal partnership is in its infancy, present efforts focus on familiarization and setting conditions for long-term cooperation. To that end, Mexican leaders observed Cal Guard aircraft used regularly in wildfire suppression, counterdrug operations and water rescues during their January visit, such as Black Hawk and Pave Hawk helicopters, the remotely piloted MQ-9 Reaper, and C-130 aircraft.
On many levels, the partnership just makes sense, a natural evolution of common interests. California and Mexico share 140 miles of border. Mexico is California’s largest export market. And with soldiers and airmen drawn from the nation’s largest Hispanic population, many Cal Guard members can point to a deep Mexican ancestry.
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In addition, the California Office of Emergency Services and the nearby Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur have existing cooperative understandings. In that respect, the agreement formalized in October is only furthering an already strong relationship between the two military agencies.
“This partnership will strengthen the already robust ties between California and Mexico, enhancing security cooperation and economic prosperity across North America,” Beevers said.
