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VIPs attending the opening ceremony included (right to left) Gen. Prajwalla Sumsher Rana, Chief of Army Staff of the Royal Nepalese Army; Adm. Dennis C. Blair, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command; and Nepal’s Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, plus military observers from 18 nations. |
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The then Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Krishna Prasad Bhattarai of Nepal presided over the opening ceremonies with UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Yong Jin Choi. Gen. Prajwalla Sumsher Rana, Chief of the Royal Nepalese Army, also took part in the opening ceremonies with Adm. Dennis C. Blair, Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command.
During the exercise, each platoon rotated through six lanes, each of which tested their skills in a variety of military and peacekeeping scenarios, broken down into 32 peacekeeping tasks. These tasks ranged from such basic military tasks as convoy protection to more civil tasks such as protecting ballot boxes and reacting to civil disturbances.
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Nepalese soldiers suspended from a military helicopter carry banners welcoming the participants to the multinational exercise.
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Lane one was conducted by a U.S. instructional team that tested unit movement techniques, location and removal of minefields, and medical evacuation.
Lane two, conducted by Royal Nepalese Army instructors, covered skills necessary to operate a highway checkpoint, including testing in conducting vehicle and personnel searches, and seizure of contraband.
