Multinational meeting melds minds

Photo By Spc. Brianne Kim | Chatchay Thaikla, Thailand National Safety Council advisor and Thai Fire & Rescue Training Academy director, presents his team’s disaster response plan to an earthquake scenario given during the Cobra Gold 2017 Medical Symposium, February 21, in Korat, Thailand. Teams of individuals from nine nations were asked to work together to develop a response plan that would address needs such as medical aid, transportation, food, water, shelter and security to those affected in such an event. The four-day long medical symposium is designed to increase interoperability and collaboration among partner nations to ensure effective response to regional crises. (U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Brianne Kim)  

THAILAND

02.21.2017

Story by Spc. Brianne Kim 

122nd Theater Public Affairs Support Element

This was the scenario presented to the nine nations participating in the Cobra Gold 2017 Medical Symposium in Korat, Thailand as part of a table top exercise February 21st. Participants were split into multinational groups, given the scenario and asked to collectively come up with a disaster response plan.
“The whole intent is to bring countries from all over … together to discuss their practices in relations to disaster response,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Thomas Longworth, 18th Civil Engineers Squadron flight chief readiness and emergency management. “We can share those practices and ideas to make our own programs better or, if when tasked to, support our partner nations.”
The medical symposium is designed to increase interoperability and collaboration among partner nations, advancing regional security and ensuring effective responses to regional crises by forming a robust multinational force. Bringing nations together to share their emergency response techniques with each other allows for new, improved and more effective response strategies.
“This [symposium] allows decision makers to get together in a room to cross pollenate ideas as well as to show that we’re not so different,” Longworth explained. “[Now] when we’re working together there isn’t going to be a … my program, my process, my way; it’s our processes, our program, our way; so it really helps unify a collective effort when engaged in a multinational response.”
The four-day long medical symposium is designed to increase interoperability and collaboration among partner nations to ensure effective response to regional crises.
“I’d just like to highlight the attitudes of the people that are here,” Longworth explained sincerely. “[Everyone] is very welcoming; there is no animosity and there is no friction between one country or another.

• Date Taken: 02.21.2017
• Date Posted: 02.23.2017 09:38
• Story ID: 224399
• Location: TH