MDF signs State Partnership Programme with US North Carolina National Guard

* North Carolina National Guard’s joint commitment with its partners to foster robust security and disaster response collaboration with African nations

* You can tell that the relationship is growing because our areas of cooperation continue to increase exponentially

By Duncan Mlanjira

The signing of the State Partnership Programme between the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) and the North Carolina National Guard “represents a deepening of bilateral ties between Malawi and the United States of America”.

This was said by President Lazarus Chakwera today when he presided over the signing ceremony of the letter of intent, which highlights North Carolina National Guard’s joint commitment with its partners to foster robust security and disaster response collaboration with African nations.

“When relations between two nations are growing in the right direction as the case is between Malawi and the United States, three things always happen — first, you can tell that the relationship is growing because our areas of cooperation continue to increase exponentially,” said the President at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.

“The Governments of Malawi and the United States are already cooperating in so many areas presently. We are working together in the area of public health through a number of life-saving programmes that the United States supports in our health facilities countrywide.

“We are working together in infrastructural development through the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s investment in the construction of key roads in Malawi, and I look forward to joining the MCC in Dallas, Texas next week to make further progress on this.”

He added that through the two country’s cooperation, they are working together in education, the most prominent example being the construction of over 200 secondary schools nationwide through the USAID-funded Secondary Education Expansion for Development (SEED) initiative.

He announced that over 60 such schools were already completed and handed over and the two country’s are working together in disaster management joining hands with other partners to support Malawi’s response plan to the devastating impact of Cyclone Freddy last year and the El Nino this year.

“We are working together in governance, with the United States supporting our anti-corruption strategy of strengthening the capacity and affirming the independence of our governance institutions to investigate and prosecute cases without outside interference.

“We are working together on the economy, with the United States being Malawi’s strongest advocate in the efforts that led to our successful qualification for an Extended Credit Facility from the International Monetary Fund.

“We are working together in diplomacy, for we speak with one voice about the various conflicts and geopolitical situations around the world, and we collaborate with each other on the values we want to espouse in common at various multilateral fora.

“And as you can see in this State Partnership Programme, we are working together in peace and security, and I must thank Ms. Amy Diaz, Chargé of the US Embassy, for the work you and your team have done to facilitate this agreement between the Malawi Defence Force and the North Carolina National Guard.

“I am also grateful for your generosity in including my officials in your delegation to Zambia yesterday where they participated in the signing ceremony of a similar partnership with the Zambia Defence Force.”

Chambers further said, secondly the relationship between Malawi and the United States can tell that it “is growing because we speak candidly to each other and treat each other with mutual respect”.

“I am grateful that whenever Malawi has faced challenges, I have been able to count on the United States to speak candidly and respectfully to me and my officials, and I am grateful that they have allowed us to enjoy the same privilege when we have concerns to raise.

“There is no nation on earth that is perfect, and so it is to our advantage that Malawi has friends like the United States who have a vested interest in our improvement, and for this I am most grateful.”

Thirdly, the President said the two country’s relationship is growing because of exchange visits, saying: “The number of people that visit Malawi from the United States has grown over the years, and because we want to see more Americans visiting our beautiful country, we have recently removed tourist visa fees for all Americans wishing to visit Malawi.

“Similarly, I am grateful that the number of Malawi traveling to and living in America is also growing, and I am hopeful that this will continue in order to deepen our mutual experience of each other’s culture and way of life.

“So on behalf of all Malawians and on behalf of the Malawi Government, I express my deepest gratitude to the Government of the United States in general for sustain this relationship and to the Governor of the State of North Carolina in particular for extending to us this partnership.

Ahead of the signing ceremony, MDF Commander, General Dr Paul Valentino Phiri was invited by the US Armed Forces in February for a courtesy call at the Pentagon in Virginia, United States — where the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces applauded the professionalism displayed by the MDF in its contribution to peacekeeping, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

A communique from the Office of the Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff made the sentiments through Vice-Chairman Admiral Christopher Grady, who is the second highest-ranking military officer in the US Armed Forces as he appreciated General Phiri’s leadership vision and philosophy and assured him of continued support from the US Armed Forces.

Admiral Grady underlined the need for upholding the rule of law, accountability, and civilian control of the military and in his presentation at the Pentagon, General Phiri underscored the importance of the relationship between the two armed forces and expressed his appreciation for the support Washington has been giving the MDF.

General Phiri laid out his vision of the MDF and how the United States can support the execution of this mission and among the issues that he presented that included the need to build the capacity and capability of the MDF in operationalisation of the quadri-service, and comprehensive disaster management as well as the establishment of early warning and early response systems. 

He was accompanied on the Pentagon visit by Malawi’s Defence Advisor to Washington DC, Brigadier General Philip Prince Nyamali and his colleague Brigadier General George Warwick Phiri, who later met Chief of the United States National Guard, General Daniel Hokanson and the Adjutant General of the North Carolina National Guard, Major General Todd Hunt.

The communique further reported that the two US Generals discussed matters of mutual interest between the MDF and the North Carolina National Guard, which has been partnered with the country in a State Partnership Programme (SPP) together with Zambia. 

The SPP is a Department of Defence security cooperation initiative, managed and administered by the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, executed by the Global Combatant Commanders such as the US Africa Command (AFRICOM). 

“The US Secretary of Defence is authorised through the SPP to support Washington’s security cooperation objectives between North Carolina and the MDF,” said the report.

“The partnership between Malawi and North Carolina is the most recent one and he two entities share common interests including maritime security and economic growth.”

North Carolina National Guard and the MDF will explore how the latter can contribute to agricultural development, which is the backbone of the country’s economy — thus the signing ceremony of the partnership in Lilongwe today.