North Dakota National Guard Participates in Lignite Coast Tabletop Exercise

A five-person team from North Dakota, including three members of the North Dakota National Guard and two personnel from the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, completed a five-day tabletop exercise in Grand-Popo, Benin, from May 12–16, 2025.

The Lignite Coast Tabletop Exercise brought together more than 45 Beninese emergency management professionals and Americans for a program focused on Incident Command Structure, disaster preparedness, and emergency response.

“This was an excellent exercise with multiple agencies and departments throughout Benin,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Paul Dosch, exercise and plans officer with domestic operations, Joint Force Headquarters, North Dakota Air National Guard, and was also the previous Benin bilateral affairs officer for two years. “This is another opportunity to develop the skills of the North Dakota National Guard, North Dakota Department of Emergency Management, and all of the Benin agencies who were in attendance.”

The tabletop exercise was part of the State Partnership Program, a longstanding program that fosters cooperation between U.S. states and partner countries. North Dakota and Benin have been state partners for more than a decade. The team visited Benin in April to scout locations, review required material, and prepare for the exercise.

“It’s good to come back and go through some of the foundational skills and then have an opportunity to work with them on a tabletop exercise to see how they conduct their operations. This would be very good preparation for a future field exercise,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Karl Altenburg who was the lead instructor for the engagement, JFHQ, North Dakota Army National Guard. “An additional benefit of a tabletop exercise is the amount of National Contingency plan that we can evaluate. If we were doing a field exercise, we’d be limited by terrain and time, whereas a tabletop exercise, we can imagine far greater terrain, we can imagine a much more extended timeframe and compress it down.”

The event included two days of classroom instruction on emergency response principles, planning, and coordination. The remaining three days were dedicated to hands-on exercises designed to simulate real-world disaster scenarios. These practical sessions tested participants’ ability to respond collaboratively and effectively under pressure, highlighting both strengths and areas for continued development.

While Altenburg was the lead instructor for the classroom portion, NDDES played a crucial role showing the incident command structure and how government agencies work with the National Guard during times of disaster.

“I also reviewed the incident command system and I am an instructor for some of the FEMA basic academy courses including the foundations of emergency management and planning course, so I reviewed the curriculum for those as a refresher coming into this engagement,” said Hope Brighton who is the lead mitigation and recovery planner with NDDES. “I think after the first day, seeing all of the partners' questions and the passion and the eagerness behind learning from those questions was really energizing and really rewarding. It shows that they are really paying attention and really care about what we’re talking about here.”

Two planning specialists from NDDES were able to work with the NDNG and Benin agencies to get the most benefit out of the tabletop exercise.

“We initially taught the incident command structure and helped the planning side,” said Katie Leitch, a planning specialist with NDDES. “I’ve been observing the exercise so seeing how they communicate, how they move resources, how they plan, and if there is any need for me to provide some insights from the North Dakota perspective for them to maybe implement or maybe work towards best practices.”

The training highlighted the importance of disaster preparedness and the value of partnerships in unified response capabilities.

“The exercise scenarios focused on wildland fires and flooding, both of which North Dakota is familiar with,” said U.S. Army Maj. Jeremy Malo, who is the logistics deputy director with JFHQ, NDARNG. “It was beneficial to see how other people are managing similar emergencies and their procedures. Sharing our processes back and forth is making all of us better.”

This was also the first opportunity for Benin to exercise its National Contingency Plan, which is a document used to deal with emergency situations.

“This exercise was not merely a test. It was a testament of our strength of our partnership,” said Abdel Aziz Bio Djibril, director general, Benin Agency for Civil Protection (ABCP). “The resilience of our systems and most importantly, the commitment of the men and women who stand ready to protect and serve. The challenges we simulated were complex, demanding coordination, strategic thinking, and adaptability, yet you met each scenario with precision and determination, that defined the North Dakota National Guard and ABCP.”

The simulated exercise allowed the NDNG, NDDES, local officials, and emergency workers to exercise their systems and build readiness.

“You have shown that when duty calls, you answer with readiness and resolve,” said Djibril. “Our collaboration has been vast and the importance of preparedness, not just as an abstract concept, but as a fundamental responsibility that we all share because in times of uncertainty in places, it is preparedness that determines if we falter or whether we rise.”

The State Partnership Program is a Department of Defense security cooperation program, managed and administered by the chief of the National Guard Bureau and executed by the Geographic Combatant Commands. North Dakota has three state partners; Ghana since 2004, Togo since 2014, and Benin since 2014. North Dakota conducts approximately four engagements in Benin every year, performing 65 in the last 10 years.