Malaysian Armed Forces hosted a medical evacuation exercise with participation by Pacific Partnership 2019 (PP19) personnel from the Military Sealift Command expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Fall River (T-EPF 4) at the Malaysian Armed Forces 1st Division Headquarters in Kuching, April 4.

Partner nations simulated a mass casualty drill to enhance their capacity for emergency care.

“The doctors and the paramedics already have the skills,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Minyard, an Emergency Medicine Physician with the 1st Medical Battalion at First Marine Expeditionary Force. “We reinforced how to use them in the field environment.” 

The exercise was part of a week-long exchange where participants of the PP19 mission and Malaysia’s 1st Medical Battalion worked together side-by-side toward a common goal of community resilience.

"We have been practicing and we've been training during peacetime, and I think it benefits both the armed forces in terms of preparedness for this kind of disaster relief event," said Malaysian Army Col. Mohamed Zaki Mokhtar, Malaysian Armed Forces Pacific Partnership 2019 (PP19) director.

Exercises like this are a big step for international cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

“I hope they [Malaysian Armed Forces] understand the desire for the U.S. military to work with the Malaysian Military in the future,” said Minyard. “We look forward to doing more training with them.”

Pacific Partnership, now in its 14th iteration, is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Each year, the mission team works collectively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase stability and security in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships across the Indo-Pacific.

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