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Foreword

Regional Response Forces ::

VALIANT SHIELD:
Building Trust and Security

GREEN LIGHTNING: Providing Security in the Asia-Pacific Region

Transnational Operations ::

KHAAN QUEST 2006:
Enhancing Multinational Peacekeeping

Humanitarian Support ::

USNS Mercy Bringing Hope to Asia-Pacific Nations

C-17 Aircraft Marking A New Airlift Era in the Pacific

New Zealand Defence Force Providing Security and Reconstruction in Afghanistan

From BALIKATAN to Mudslide Relief

Happenings ::

Happenings

KHAAN QUEST 2006:
Enhancing Multinational Peacekeeping
By Kalei Brooks, AKNG

Exercise KHAAN QUEST 2006, a co-sponsored Mongolian-U.S. peacekeeping training exercise, was the 2006 capstone event for the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). GPOI is a five-year program to increase peacekeeping capabilities worldwide. It has three major goals: 1) train and, as appropriate, equip 75,000 military peace support operations troops worldwide through 2010; 2) arrange a transportation and logistics support system to help troops deploy to peace support operations and help sustain them in the field; and 3) support the establishment of an international training center to train gendarme or stability police units to participate in peace support operations.

More than 1,000 armed forces personnel from Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Mongolia, Thailand, Tonga, and the U.S. participated in the field training exercise at Five Hills Training Area in Mongolia. A UN Training Assistance Team and military trainers from Canada, the Republic of Korea, and the U.S. assisted in the exercise. Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United Kingdom sent observers.

Occurring in conjunction with the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Mongol state, the 15-day exercise involved scenario events designed to improve multinational speed of response, mission effectiveness, interoperability, and unity of effort. Humanitarian engineering projects and a command post exercise also took place.

Exercise events helped participants strengthen their peace operations capabilities, improve interoperability, and gain planning expertise. The overall goal was for participants to achieve UN “training recognition.”

KHAAN QUEST 2006 was preceded by TEMPEST EXPRESS 10, a multinational command post exercise (CPX). The CPX simulated a UN force headquarters in Ulaanbaatar in response to a regional peacekeeping operation. It focused on standard UN procedures for executing a UN mandate. With about 100 participants, the CPX included representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom, and the U.S.

The KHAAN QUEST 2006 / TEMPEST EXPRESS 10 scenario events involved two new fictional countries engaged in a border conflict, resulting in social and ethnic unrest, internally displaced people, terrorism, contaminated water, and diseases. Struck by an earthquake and flooding, both countries agree to cease hostilities. The UN deploys a peacekeeping force along the border and initiates disaster-relief efforts.

Participants were involved in executing command and control of notional subordinate battalions in a multinational, complex peacekeeping environment; executing applicable UN headquarters staff functions; incorporating rules of engagement and force protection requirements; developing plans for breach of peace agreement, winter operations, information operations, and a media campaign; and developing liaison procedures and coordinating mechanisms with the UN, non-governmental organizations, and other agencies.

Opening Ceremony
Opening KHAAN QUEST 2006, at the Five Hills Training Center, near Ulaanbaatar, the President of Mongolia and Commander-in-Chief of the Mongolian Armed Forces, H.E. Nambaryn Enkhbayar, told participants, “I am full of confidence that this multinational field exercise and command post exercise will enhance your interoperability skills for the cause of good, and it will give a large impetus to our own efforts to accelerate the reform of our Armed Forces, increasing the opportunities in Mongolia to further strengthen our contribution to the global peace effort.”

“We live in an increasingly interconnected world, therefore, participation in multinational training events such as KHAAN QUEST is paramount,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Tom, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Army, Pacific. “This exercise provides the ideal venue for soldiers from many nations to exchange tactics, techniques, and procedures in the art of military peacekeeping.”

“The lessons learned at KHAAN QUEST 2006 will be taken back to participating nations and will be carried forward into execution of UN peace support operations around the world,” Maj. Gen. Tom continued. “These UN missions provide security and hope for people in troubled areas of the world in need of protection and are of vital importance in maintaining civility on the planet.”

In addition to training, KHAAN QUEST provided a venue for nations to share their culture with each other. As part of the opening ceremony, Mongolia hosted a music, dance, and cultural program showcasing the rich traditions and character of the country. Highlights included the traditional art of throat singing, a performance of Mongolian masked temple dancers, an impressive display by contortionists, and a mock battle of fighting warriors on horses.

Medical Team Aids Exercise Participants
A team of 40 Mongolian and U.S. medical professionals set up a deployable field hospital to ensure troops received the care they needed to participate. Among the Mongolian contingency were an orthopedic surgeon, oral surgeon, and optometrist. The U.S. had a public health specialist, internal medicine doctor, medical corps officer, two physician assistants, two nurses, and three medical technicians.

The team worked from 28 medical tents, which included everything from a pharmacy, dentist office, treatment ward, operating tent, intensive care area, and x-ray facility. Medics said putting the appropriate team together and testing the field hospital’s capabilities is an exercise in itself.

“I like it a lot because we are learning a lot of things,” said Mongolian Armed Forces Maj. (Dr.) Gerdee Tungaamaa, an anesthesiologist at the Central Armed Forces Hospital in Ulaanbaatar. “This is a first experience for us. After setting up the hospital, we looked at changing things, and I asked the U.S. doctors for help because they have experience [working and organizing field hospitals] … like the treatment room needs to be closer to the reception tent.”

The medical team treated more than 300 patients. Heat and elevation seemed to hit participants the hardest, increasing the number of patients daily. “For the soldiers the most common problem is dehydration caused by the elements,” said Alaska Air National Guard Maj. (Dr.) John Boston. He noted that the U.S. troops from cooler environments and lower altitudes found the 1.2-kilometer elevation and desert conditions hard on their bodies.

One of the other challenges for the medics was the language barrier. For most of the soldiers, English is a second language. “Sometimes we have problems because their [U.S.] pronunciation is different,” noted Maj. Tungaamaa. “We use a lot of gesturing then finally, we can understand each other.”

To keep a close eye on troops in the field, three U.S. medics were embedded with the platoons. The Indians and Fijians also had medics with their soldiers. The goal was to monitor the soldiers, exchange ideas, and broaden medical skills.

Closing Ceremony
Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Tom, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve, U.S. Army Pacific, told participants at the end of the exercise, “As we conclude this exercise, a multinational UN mission is being formed to assist southern Lebanon; it is possible perhaps that individuals or platoons trained during this KHAAN QUEST exercise may be asked to support that mission. If so, the lessons learned here will be put to good use supporting that mission and other UN peacekeeping operations around the world.”

“The training exercise is of a great importance to enhance military cooperation and confidence between countries in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Mongolia’s Prime Minister M. Enkhbold. “There is no doubt that this training has greatly contributed to improving cooperation for global security, confidence in peace-support operations, and development of camaraderie among the soldiers.”

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