North Carolina Air Guard Hosts Mini African Military Law Forum with Partners from Malawi, Zambia, and Botswana

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA — The North Carolina Air National Guard hosted military legal advisors from Malawi, Zambia, and Botswana for a Mini African Military Law Forum (AMLF) at its base near Charlotte Douglas International Airport from July 29 to August 2, strengthening international partnerships through the State Partnership Program.

Forum Brings African Partners Into U.S. Military Legal Discussions

The gathering coincided with the quarterly meeting of the Air National Guard Judge Advocate Council, which develops strategy and training for more than 550 military lawyers and paralegals across the United States.

For the first time, African legal advisors joined the session to exchange perspectives.

“For this meeting, we did something we’ve never done before and invited our African State Partnership Program partners,” said Col. Cynthia Bernett of the North Carolina Air National Guard. “With them present, they can see the big picture legal issues we face, and we can better understand the challenges they encounter in their countries.”

Inspiration from African Military Law Forum in Zambia

The idea for the Charlotte forum emerged after U.S. legal officials attended the 2024 African Military Law Forum in Lusaka, Zambia.

“We were impressed with how advisors from over 30 African nations collaborated,” said Maj. Gen. Charles “Chuck” Walker, assistant to the judge advocate general. “We didn’t want to wait for the next AMLF to build on that momentum.”

Established in 2014, the AMLF typically convenes annually in Africa to address the rule of law in military operations.

Exchange of Ideas on Legal and Humanitarian Issues

During their stay, delegates engaged in wide-ranging discussions, including:

• Emergency response coordination, with briefings on how the Guard works alongside civilian authorities during natural disasters like hurricanes.
• Lawfare training at Duke University Law School, led by retired Maj. Gen. Charlie Dunlap Jr., on how law can be used as a tool in warfare.
• Visits to North Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, where advisors compared judicial systems.

Brig. Gen. Gilbert Mittawa of Malawi said the program deepened ties:

“This experience has been instrumental in deepening our understanding of the U.S. legal system and our partnership. It has opened doors for more collaboration.”

Col. Mwizookanji Namwawa of Zambia added:

“The discussions on emergency response made me think about how we can adapt similar approaches in Zambia, especially in working with civilian agencies.”

Strengthening Long-Term Partnerships

The event reflected decades of work under the State Partnership Program (SPP), which connects U.S. Guard units with foreign militaries to enhance cooperation and readiness.

Maj. Keorapetse Sereetsi, a legal officer from Botswana, emphasized the value of regional cooperation:

“The challenges faced in Botswana are similar to those in Malawi, Zambia, and even the U.S. This forum showed how much we need each other.”

Maj. Gen. Walker said the initiative will have lasting effects:

“This was the first step in institutionalizing enduring SPP engagements in the Guard’s legal community, with the goal of expanding these kinds of connections worldwide.”

 

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