Disaster Response Exercise Aims to Battle Wildfires

Sixteen representatives from U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) joined representatives from the Tentara Nasional Indonesia (TNI) and the government of Indonesia (GOI) to focus on wild fires during a disaster response exchange and exercise last week in the Riau Province of the Asia-Pacific nation.

An article in Antara News highlighted the relevance of the exercise in the province, where firefighters are currently battling both forest and plantation fires.

During a two-day exchange, the group focused on procedures for responding to wild fires, specifically incident management and multinational collaboration efforts. Additionally, they exchanged information on command, control and management of response to large wild land fire incidents. They also discussed the secondary and tertiary impacts fires have in the region, as well as ways other organizations and the private sector can be involved in preventing and managing incidents.

The last day of the event featured a table-top exercise that required the group to work together to respond to a large-scale fire disaster.

This exercise, which is led by the TNI and GOI, is in its third year. Each year, additional countries from throughout the region have attended, whether as participants or observers. This highlights the ongoing strengthening of partnerships throughout the Asia-Pacific region, which helps foster more rapid response to disasters and an overall increase in security in the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) area of responsibility.

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Community Outreach Expands CARAT Partnership

While Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen participating in Exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) have a primary focus of increasing interoperability between U.S. and Southeast Asia navies, they also take advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate their roles as global citizens.

The exercise series kicked off May 21 in the Philippines, and members took some time to participate in a number of community outreach projects.

Exercises like CARAT foster not only bilateral partnership between the participating nations, but also partnerships with the citizens of the visited countries. Each plays an important role in building trust and ultimately contributing to security and stability in the region.

Articles in the Philippine Inquirer and on the Exercise CARAT Web site highlighted some of the outreach projects the service members participated in during the Philippine Phase of the exercise. These projects focused on medical, dental and engineering outreach. Both U.S. and Philippine service members painted homes, delivered education and athletic materials to schools, and provided medical, dental and optometry care to more than 800 citizens.

CARAT will include similar events in other participating nations, which include Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

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Center for Excellence Facilitates Disaster Relief Exercise in Mongolia

Gobi Wolf, a bilateral disaster response exercise designed to increase emergency response and management in Mongolia, concluded in Ulaanbaatar, the country’s capital April 10.
Exercise participants included the Alaskan National Guard, the U.S. Army War College, the Asia Foundation, the Institute for Strategic Studies, Mongolia Railroad and the Mongolia Department of Transportation.

The exercise was facilitated by the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (COE), and Mongolia’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA). See COE’s news release and photos.

Gobi Wolf began March 2 and consisted of three phases, which tested every aspect of emergency response in Mongolia. Incident Command Training focused on senior and mid-level planning, phase two was a table top exercise, and phase three was a field exercise that required simulated emergency response to a train derailment.

While this exercise provided an invaluable opportunity to enhance partnership with Mongolia, it also provided a test of readiness to deal with a situation that is very realistic to the people of Mongolia.

The Mongolia Railroad is a mainstay to many parts of the region. Goods are transported throughout the country and to its neighbors, including fruits, vegetables, and mining exports. A train derailment would potentially cause a critical hit to the economy of the region and could also impact the ability of people to travel in and out of larger cities, depending on where the derailment occurs.

In addition to damaging the economy, a train derailment could affect the food supply in the area. This would require an immediate response from NEMA and other supporting agencies to mitigate the direct impact on individuals and their ability to survive.

COE is a direct reporting unit to U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) and promotes disaster preparedness and resiliency in the Asia-Pacific region. They do this primarily through training such as Gobi Wolf, education programs, consultations, and information sharing.

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U.S., Philippines Discuss Way Ahead for 2010 Mutual Defense, Security

Members of the Executive Committee (EXECOM) for the U.S. and Philippine Mutual Defense Board (MDB) and Security Engagement Board (SEB) met Mar. 13 at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii to discuss and forward to the MDB and SEB detailed plans for 2010 engagements, as well as a five-year plan for future large-scale engagements.

These plans will be presented to the board for approval and final signatures by co-chairs, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command and the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The board is scheduled to convene in Hawaii the first week in August.

The MDB was formed in 1958 as a way to enhance the U.S. and Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), which was signed in 1951 and is the oldest treaty the U.S. has with a Pacific nation. As regional threats and military requirements changed, there became a need for the SEB, which addresses non-traditional issues like terrorism and natural disasters.

A recent development to the MDB-SEB process is the identification of specific goals and objectives to increase the ability of the Philippines to participate in coalition operations. This is especially important in assuring military readiness for both countries as stipulated in the MDT.

To address this need, one of the most significant inputs on this year’s meetings calls for an increased focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR), multilateral cooperation, and interagency coordination during training exercises like Balikatan.

The EXECOM also addressed professional enlisted development, an area that is just taking root among most Asia-Pacific militaries, with the Philippines at the forefront.

Once the board approves the plan, it will serve to continue and further enhance the long standing partnership that has been enjoyed by the U.S. and Philippines for more than 50 years.

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Adm. Keating Discusses U.S. Pacific Command Strategy with NPR

U.S. Pacific Command's cooperative and collaborative approach to security in the Asia-Pacific region was among several topics discussed when Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander, U.S. Pacific Command sat down with KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio talk show host Steve Scher, in Seattle, WA recently.

The interview can be heard in its entirety external to this post in RealAudio, or MP3 (HI)/(LO) formats, or below.

Adm. Keating provided insight into the PACOM strategy, which is founded on three main pillars of partnership, readiness, and presence. The admiral addressed questions regarding the current state of U.S.-China military relations; India-Pakistan following the Nov. terrorists attacks in Mumbai, India; North Korea; and U.S. military support to the government of the Philippines with its efforts to counter violent extremist organizations.

The admiral also discussed the emphasis the U.S. military places on environmental stewardship, as it trains and operates in the maritime environment to ensure its equipment and tactics are ready to respond across the spectrum of operations. He noted that if the U.S. is going to be instrumental to security that it has to be capable of fighting and winning.

However, a long held view of Adm. Keating's is that major conflict in Asia-Pacific is not inevitable. The admiral believes that transparency of intentions, combined with cooperation and collaboration, will help avoid possible confrontation and confusion that could lead to crisis. He also pointed out that there are ample opportunities for all countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including China. He said that by working together, we will be better postured to protect our respective vital interests.

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