Photo By Master Sgt. Christine Polvorosa | People’s Liberation Army and U.S. military delegates demonstrate their friendship...... read more read more
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MUARA NAVAL BASE, Brunei Darussalam – Natural disasters affect the Asia-Pacific region more than any other area in the world; countless lives can be lost and the potential for human suffering is multiplied so when a disaster occurs, the ability to respond collectively with lifesaving resources and capabilities benefits all regional nations.
For People’s Liberation Army Rear Adm. Ren Guoquan, the PLA surgeon general and director of the Health Department, having the opportunity to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief and Military Medicine Exercise (AHMX) hosted by Brunei Darussalam “was an honor and demonstrated the best of every country’s capabilities in medical and HA/DR operations.”
China, along with Vietnam, was a co-sponsor for the HA/DR portion of the exercise and showcased some of its assets and contributions.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Raquel Bono, U.S. Pacific Command surgeon, had the opportunity to see firsthand some of China’s medical capabilities during her visit June 19 to the Peace Ark, a Chinese hospital ship anchored pier side at Muara Naval Base.
“The ship itself is very impressive,” said Bono. “While it has its own helicopter, it’s very similar to that of our ships, but one capability that the (U.S.) does not have is the traditional Chinese medicine.”
During her tour of the ship, Bono also had a moment to sit down with Guoquan to share medical experiences, discuss both countries’ contribution to the exercise thus far and address areas of potential bilateral cooperation.
“The objectives of this exercise were clearly met right at the beginning,” added Bono. “The multilateral training increased our understanding and comfort level with each other in terms of what we can offer or bring to a situation and expands opportunities in other areas of shared interest and cooperation.”
The four-day long multilateral exercise, which was held from June 17 to 20 at various locations throughout Brunei, provided a platform for regional partner nations to address shared security challenges, strengthen defense cooperation, enhance interoperability and promote stability in the region.
“Anytime that we can respond to a disaster that helps to restore the security [in the region],” said Bono. “When we’re able to work together with other nations and we do things like (ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus), then we have a better understanding of what each country’s capabilities are and how we can complement each other and best support all the countries in this area.”
Guoquan shared Bono’s sentiment affirming “the advantages of combined medical and HA/DR operations is beneficial to peace and stability in the region.”
| Date Taken: | 06.19.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.24.2013 00:30 |
| Story ID: | 109120 |
| Location: | MUARA, BN |
| Web Views: | 452 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, PLA, US develop strong ties through shared medical values, by MSgt Christine Polvorosa, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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