New Hampshire Guardsmen Deliver Hope to Cabo Verde After Storm

Published Aug. 28, 2025
By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Victoria Nelson

In a swift response to the devastation resulting from Tropical Storm Erin, which hit the Cabo Verde Islands off the west coast of Africa Aug. 11, airmen assigned to the New Hampshire Air National Guard loaded nearly 40,000 pounds of life-saving resources onto a KC-46 Pegasus bound for the storm-stricken region.

A man wearing a camouflage military uniform drives a forklift loaded with boxes. There are three other people in similar attire standing in the background.

Three men wearing civilian attire and yellow reflective vests offload cargo from a large gray military aircraft.

Since 2021, the New Hampshire National Guard has worked closely with Cabo Verde through the Defense Department's National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program. In an effort to further mutually beneficial, security cooperation relationships built on trust and shared values, the SPP aims to improve interoperability, increase readiness and foster enduring relationships.

"The prescheduled flight was part of an off-station training mission that overlapped with an SPP engagement on Sal island," said Air Force Capt. Kirsten Arends, a bilateral affairs officer for the New Hampshire National Guard. "With the onset of Tropical Storm Erin, [New Hampshire National Guard] took the opportunity to transfer needed supplies that were then distributed to the hardest hit communities."

The critical supplies arrived as the islands continued to grapple with widespread destruction from Tropical Storm Erin. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding left multiple fatalities, displaced families and blocked major roads across the islands. The government declared a state of emergency as mudslides and power outages compounded the crisis.

The pallets were stacked with medical supplies, personal protective equipment, clothing, blankets, shoes and hygiene products, alongside additional aid procured by state and military agencies.

"This is the largest cargo movement a single KC-46 has done from New Hampshire," said Air Force Lt. Col. Moira Cuthbert, commander of the 157th Logistics Readiness Squadron.

A woman wearing gloves, camouflage pants and a T-shirt, carries a box. There are several boxes stacked in the background.

The lift was run through the Defense Security Cooperation Agency's Denton Program, a Defense Department transportation program that moves critical resources donated by U.S.-based nongovernmental organizations to countries in need.

A team of 20 airmen, representing nine distinct Air Force specialties, conducted thorough inspections to ensure the cargo met Air Force and Denton Program regulations.

"We broke down, sorted and repackaged every box, all 33,000 pounds, to meet airworthiness requirements," said Air Force Master Sgt. Andrew Norton, noncommissioned officer in charge of the air transportation function with the 157th Logistics Readiness Squadron. "It was a huge lift and on short notice."

Tropical Storm Erin rapidly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane within 24 hours between Aug. 15-16, unleashing sustained winds of 160 mph and earning its place as one of the fastest-strengthening Atlantic hurricanes on record.

The rapid response required of the New Hampshire National Guard members tested their readiness and enhanced the guard members' logistical and operational skills, preparing them to respond effectively to any crisis.

A large gray military cargo aircraft is parked on a tarmac with a cargo bin open. A pallet of supplies is on a loader to the side of the aircraft opening.

"We have a strong state partnership with Cabo Verde," Cuthbert said. "This mission demonstrates how both nations benefit, and we have the chance to contribute to something that is really meaningful."

Through the SPP, the New Hampshire National Guard conducts military-to-military engagements in support of defense security goals. The partnership also leverages relationships and capabilities to facilitate broader interagency engagements that span military, government, economic and social spheres with Cabo Verde.

"To me, this was the epitome of what it means to be in the guard," Cuthbert said. "You are responsive, you're flexible and you work outside your normal duties when the mission calls for it. 'Always ready, always there;' that's our mantra and that's what we did."