Togolese disaster-response officials conduct training prep meeting with North Dakota SPP colleagues, SETAF-AF

Representatives of Togo’s National Civil Protection Agency conducted a major training preparation meeting with disaster-relief experts from North Dakota and civil affairs Soldiers assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) in Lome, Togo, June 12, in advance of a practical exercise.

This gathering was part of Operation Lignite Coast 2026, the overall training event conducted June 8-18, focused on improving the Togolese government’s ability to respond to a variety of emergency situations.

Togolese Lt. Col. Yoma Baka, director general for the NCPA, presented the majority of the workshop’s content, providing attendees with a common understanding of the exercise.

“This particular meeting was especially significant as the schedule led up to a culminating practical exercise in the field,” said U.S. Army Capt. Euston Harp, team chief for Civil Affairs Team Togo, Alpha Company, Civil Affairs Battalion, SETAF-AF. “It identified specific tasks, duties and roles among the relevant players in the training scenarios.”

Harp emphasized that the NPCA already possesses a solid foundation for conducting civil affairs, humanitarian aid and incident response, but like disaster-relief professionals in the U.S., they understand there is always room to improve. This training maintains readiness and identifies gaps in their processes prior to an actual emergency.

“With continued training with partners in the North Dakota National Guard, their capacity for readiness will continue to improve even more,” Harp said.

According to Sherry Adams, North Dakota state health officer and Southwestern District Health Unit executive officer, the Togolese began the initial groundwork for planning Lignite Coast in December 2025. In February 2026 and later in April, advanced teams from the Peace Garden State met with counterparts in Togo to refine training content, which required considering the subsequent emergencies that could follow precipitating events, like floods and other natural disasters.

“As part of that planning, we determined what we could do best to support the Togolese in their mission … specifically for disaster preparedness and working with the NCPA [Togo’s equivalent of the Federal Emergency Management Agency],” Adams said. “With almost every disaster, they face the potential for a disease outbreak, such as cholera, so involving their health ministry is a huge component of their preparedness.”

Togo and North Dakota have worked together as partners through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program for more than 12 years. American participants consisted of North Dakota civilian state employees and Soldiers assigned to the North Dakota National Guard.

“The overall goal is always building capacity and relationships with our partners in Togo, and specifically for this trip, with the NCPA,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Al Roehrich, Lignite Coast lead planner for the North Dakota National Guard and deputy director of the North Dakota Domestic Operations Branch. “The Togolese are very confident in what they do, but they do see the U.S. and the North Dakota National Guard as subject matter experts. When we bring in people from multiple agencies like the Department of Emergency Services and different outreach programs from North Dakota State University, it allows us to connect our private and public industry with their private and public industry, so if there’s something they can’t resource in Togo, sometimes other agencies can.”

Roehrich noted that partnerships, like those fostered in the SPP, also benefit and further develop U.S. disaster-relief professionals. When interactions with partners occur overseas, they allow American military and civilian personnel to see different points of view while factoring in different complications (such as food scarcity and power grid issues beyond urban centers), which are not always pressing concerns in the U.S.

“This experience gives us some shared understanding of how other countries operate because when you get outside of the United States, everything is different,” Roehrich said.

Roehhrich concluded by pointing out improvements to U.S. readiness, among other benefits of working with overseas partners.

“These interactions allow our people to bring their expertise to another part of the world," Roehrich said. “For the North Dakota National Guard, it’s a wonderful opportunity for younger Soldiers and senior leaders to travel and learn the world from a different perspective while building partner capacity.”