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African and American chaplains share ideas

New York Army National Guard Lt. Col. Scott Ehler, the New York National Guard's state chaplain, speaks with South African National Defense Force Chaplain Col. Malcom Pillay, during a meeting of American and African chaplains conducted as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany on August 21, 2018. Chaplains from various African nations militarys met with each other and their American National Guard counterparts as part of a State Partnership Program Chaplain Strategic Synchronization Working Group, hosted by U.S. Africa Command. ( U.S. Army National Guard photo by Major Alvin Phillips)

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Photo by: Maj. Al Phillips 

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African and American chaplains share ideas

Lt. Col. Scott Ehler, the chief chaplain for the New York National Guard (right) brain storms with two African military chaplains during a meeting of American and African chaplains conducted as part of the National Guard State Partnership Program on August 21, 2018 at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Chaplains from various African nations militarys met with each other and their American National Guard counterparts as part of a State Partnership Program Chaplain Strategic Synchronization Working Group, hosted by U.S. Africa Command. ( U.S. Army National Guard photo by Major Alvin Phillips)

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Photo by: Maj. Al Phillips 

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany.- National Guard Chaplains from states partnered with African militaries, met with their African counterparts here August 23-26 as U.S. Africa Command hosted a meeting for chaplains as part of the Department of Defense State Partnership Program.

The American chaplains and their counterparts exchanged ideas and best practices during the four day workshop.

"As chaplains we must be committed to the service and needs of the service members and that is why I am here," said New York National Guard State chaplain Lt. Col Scott Elher. "Here today, New York tomorrow and South Africa later, I go where I am needed."

New York has a State Partnership Program with South Africa. The South African National Defense Force has 180 chaplains, the largest chaplain's corps on the continent.

The National Guard State Partnership Program links a unique component of the Department of Defense - a state's National Guard - with the armed forces or equivalent of a partner country in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship.

State Partnership program states conduct joint training and conduct officer and NCO exchange visits. The chaplains meeting is part of that effort.

Chaplains from Nigeria, partnered with California; Botswana, partnered with North Carolina; , Djibouti, partnered with Kentucky; Ghana, partnered with North Dakota; and Kenya, which is partnered with Massachusetts; attended the workshop.

The four day workshop was designed as a professional and spiritual workshop to build upon evidence-based expertise, studies of experienced chaplains who relayed what works well, what can be improved and how to ultimately succeed in the role as chaplain in Africa, Ehler said.

AFRICOM hosts chaplain gatherings between American and African nation's military chaplains regularly. Information exchange and the need for dialogue is critical to chaplains, Ehler said.

Americans may not understand how things work in Africa, the African chaplains emphasized.

"If there is an issue with a neighboring African country-the US should not go in ill-advised but should seek the advice of another African country first because we see our elves as brothers," said Botswana Defense Force Chaplain David Taote Mapitse.

The AFRICOM Command Chaplain emphasized the importance of an African proverb in Working on the continent: "If you want to go fast-go alone. However, if you want to go far-go with partners"

"As a chaplain, we work with such a collegiate crowd and we do so by, with, through working together," AFRICOM Command Chaplain (Col.) Michael Klein said. "God utilizes people to refine us, to smooth us out, this is what by, with, through signifies-to establish regional security, mitigate extremism And restore confidence," he added.

U.S chaplains are endeavoring to be enablers for the African chaplains, Klein said. They are interfacing with US embassies, and foreign defense relations on a daily basis to maintain dialogue with their counterparts and collaborate, he added.

Overall the four-day meeting was worthwhile, said Col. Dr. Tobias Maluku, Chaplain Service Chief of Staff for South Africa National Defense Force we wish God's blessing going forward to the future. I want to express our gratitude for this informative event," Masuku said.