LUSAKA, Zambia – Representatives from the North Carolina National Guard, Botswana, Malawi, Moldova (virtually) and Zambia gathered for the North Carolina State Partnership Program Domestic Response Workshop at Zambia Army Headquarters, June 8-12.
Hosted by the Zambian Defence Force, the workshop marked a first for a Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, or SPP, partner nation with North Carolina to host a multinational event on its own soil. It highlighted each nation’s past disaster responses, shared civilian-military collaboration and opened discussions on regional disaster preparedness and future cooperation.
“This is the first time we have had an opportunity to gather five partner nations in one location outside of the United States,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Aaron Youngblood, North Carolina National Guard chief of domestic operations. “It was an amazing opportunity for us to come together in Zambia and focus on something different from what we experienced when we hosted it in North Carolina.”
The discussions highlighted a growing emphasis on preparedness, mitigation and emergency management rather than responding after a disaster occurs.
“The frequency and intensity of disasters are continuously increasing,” said Ryan Kenney, North Carolina Emergency Management deputy branch manager of emergency services. “Our partners are taking a proactive approach to emergency management rather than reacting to a disaster.”
Throughout the workshop, participants shared after-action reports from past disasters, exchanged lessons learned and discussed interagency coordination frameworks between civilian and military agencies.
Representatives found that despite geographic differences, they face similar disaster challenges, including floods and droughts.
“Disasters do not respect borders, whether you are prepared or not,” Youngblood said. “They happen, and there are many commonalities among the nations we are partnered with.”
While each nation operates under different domestic response operations, the participants agreed that continued collaboration and information sharing are essential to improve disaster preparedness. For the Zambian government, hosting the workshop provided an opportunity to deepen relationships with its SPP partners and strengthen regional disaster response networks.
“We launched the partnership [with North Carolina in 2024] and agreed that we would share information,” said Norman Chipakupaku, National Disaster Response Management Division national coordinator. “This workshop came at the right time. We want to continue sharing experiences, prepare for future disasters and help build resilience within our countries.”
As the partner nations concluded the workshop, representatives emphasized the growing multinational relationships through the North Carolina State Partnership Program and their shared commitment to building resilient communities with a shared understanding of disaster preparedness and response.
“This highlights the importance of the partnership and Zambia’s ownership to host an event like this,” said U.S. Army Col. Patrick Szvetitz, North Carolina National Guard director of strategic plans and policy. “The maturity of our State Partnership Program is evident during this workshop, where Zambia can host four countries in person and one virtually to improve our emergency response to the people we serve.”