No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
Reserve & National Guard
SUBSCRIBE FREE
Reserve & National Guard

Malaysia and Washington State Partner for Exercises

Maddie Dolan
by Maddie Dolan
March 25, 2019
Washington National Guard

Staff Sgt. Adam Hirata, Charlie Company, 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army Reserve, leads soldiers with 15th Royal Malay Regiment, in a tactical column during Exercise Keris Strike last year. Photo by Spc. Alec Dionne

Roughly 100 members of the Washington National Guard deployed this month to participate in two annual exercises with Malaysian Armed Forces.

Keris Strike and Bersama Warrior are two separate exercises that focus on different topics, but will take place around the same time. Joseph Siemandel, Public Affairs Officer for the Washington National Guard, said that Bersama Warrior is a command post exercise located in Kuala Lumpur, organized as a general United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) command exercise.

Maj. Gen. Timothy Mckeithen, Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Pacific Command, removes a ceremonial bayonet during the closing ceremony for Exercise Keris Strike in 2018. Photo by Spc. Alec Dionne.

“It’s a bilateral exercise designed to advance inner-operability to build capacity to plan and conduct joint and combined operations,” he said.

Lt. Col. Alyson Teeter, who will act as the public affairs officer within the Bersama exercise, added that a command post “is the heartbeat of an operation. Basically, we’re coming up with the plans for the field to execute.”

Outside the Malaysian capital at Buloh Camp, Keris Strike will focus solely on Subject Matter Expert Exchanges. Siemandel said Keris Strike will include topics like unmanned aerial systems, public affairs information operations, civil affairs, and medical and special operations.

Both exercises will be smaller than previous years because each is more focused on ramping up for much larger 2020 exercises that will utilize several hundred more guardsmen.

The Keris Strike exercise transpired out of the National Guard’s 25-year-old State Partnership Program. According to the National Guard website, a U.S. European Command decision in 1991 to set up a Joint Contact Team Program in the Baltic Region evolved into partnering state guards with nations around the world. Washington was one of the most recent states to establish another relationship with a foreign ally under the State Partnership Program in 2017. There are now 75 established relationships with countries around the world through the program.

Siemandel said states often pair with countries that provide a mutual benefit. He added that Malaysia and Washington’s other partner country, Thailand, have a lot in common with the state in regards to imports and exports.

“Washington has some of the biggest ports in the United States with Seattle and Tacoma, as well as you’ve got port security topics that come up with Vancouver and Portland,” he said, also acknowledging that a lot of goods come into the U.S. from Southeast Asia.

Lt. Col. Angela Gentry, Washington Army National Guard, discusses battle drills with her Malaysian army counterpart, Maj. Nurkhairunisa, during Exercise Bersama Warrior in Malaysia on March 10. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jason Kriess.

In fact, The Northwest Seaport Alliance, a marine cargo operating partnership of the Port of Seattle and Port of Tacoma, cites Malaysia as one of its top 10 trading partners.

Teeter and Siemendel further clarified that both exercises are primarily focused on building a positive relationship between Malaysia and the state of Washington.

“This exercise is an opportunity to really strengthen our relationship with our Malaysian teammates and increase our familiarization with them,” Teeter said.

Even moreso, Siemendel said the partnership also allows the two entities to learn from one another, which could be especially beneficial in a state or federal emergency.

“We may think we are an expert on something but they might have an expertise on a topic that we can learn from them and share those best practices,” Siemandel said. “That’s what makes these kind of trainings important.”

One of Teeter’s biggest predicted takeaways will not only be the new friends, but how much she will learn during the Bersama Warrior exercise.

“It’s certainly going to help me sharpen my skills,” she said. “Personally, this is a great opportunity to work on my public affairs skillset and improve.”

Read comments
Tags: Bersama WarriorBuloh CampKeris StrikeMalaysiaNational GuardState Partnership ProgramUnited States Army Pacific
Maddie Dolan

Maddie Dolan

Maddie Dolan has more than a decade of experience in reporting, copy editing, teaching and creative writing. She also has a bachelor’s in English-Writing and a master’s in English-Creative Writing. She has been awarded Best Business News Story and Best Spot News Story by the Nevada Press Association, and received a commendation from the Associated Press for breaking news coverage. Not conclusively, she also received awards for her volunteerism with USO Guam, is a recipient of the ANA Dorothy Flatley Award and is a HillVets Fellow. When Maddie isn’t writing, she prefers to be outside running, biking or hiking.

Related Posts

Southwest border mission spurs ‘mixed feelings’ among guardsmen

by Will Martin
1 hour ago
0
Border mission

The Southwest border mission is a prolonged federal effort and, more recently, a highly politicized mission at the state level.

Read more

‘Retrograde’ documentary captures humanity behind withdrawal from Afghanistan

by Will Martin
2 days ago
0
Retrograde

National Geographic's "Retrograde" captures the humanity behind America’s abrupt Afghanistan exit and its impact on those who remained.

Read more

AFRC warns of fake social media accounts

by AmeriForce Exclusive
1 week ago
0
Social media

Air Force Reserve Command's social media manager warns of fake social media accounts and urges people to take precautions.

Read more

TRICARE, modernization atop list of legislative priorities

by Joseph LaFave
1 week ago
0
TRICARE

TRICARE, modernized equipment and parity with active-duty service components remain at the top of several military lobbyist’s to-do lists.

Read more

Hokanson to Army Guard Leaders: Tell our story

by National Guard Bureau
2 weeks ago
0
Hokanson

The National Guard is integral to the National Defense Strategy, Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson told Army Guard leaders Jan. 11.

Read more

OPINION: Individual Ready Reserve offers chance to ‘take a knee’

by Emily Solberg
3 weeks ago
0
Individual Ready Reserve

The Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) is a little-known option that could help with retention, according to one reservist and military...

Read more

Ads

Let's get social

The RNG Drill

News delivered directly to your inbox

Let's connect!

ABOUT US

  • OUR STORY
  • OUR TEAM
  • OUR WRITERS

MAGAZINE

  • GET PRINT
  • GET DIGITAL
  • GET THE NEWSLETTER

GET RESOURCES

  • VETERANS TOOLKIT

ADVERTISE

  • GET OUR MEDIA KIT
  • PUBLISHER’S STATEMENT

SUBMISSIONS

  • PITCH US
  • SUBMIT YOUR STORY

Never miss out on the latest stories.

© 2021 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Privacy Policy | Terms | Site by Swiss Commerce

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

Thank you for your interest in The Reserve & National Guard Magazine!

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
  • YOUR CAREER
    • UNIT TRAINING
    • DEPLOYMENT
    • PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
    • RECRUITING & RETENTION
    • ENTREPRENEUR
    • TRANSITION
  • EDUCATION
  • MILITARY LIFE
    • MILITARY SPOUSES
    • MILITARY KIDS
    • PARENTING
  • OFF DUTY
    • ENTERTAINMENT
    • TRAVEL
  • HEALTH
    • FITNESS
    • MEDICINE
    • MENTAL HEALTH
  • OPINION
  • HISTORY
  • MONEY
    • PERSONAL FINANCE
    • BENEFITS
  • GET THE MAGAZINE
    • PRINT MAGAZINES
    • DIGITAL MAGAZINES
    • GET THE NEWSLETTER
  • RESOURCES
    • VETERANS TOOLKIT
  • ABOUT US
    • MEET OUR TEAM
    • OUR AUTHORS
    • ADVERTISE WITH US
    • SUBMIT YOUR STORY
    • PITCH US
    • CONTACT

© 2022 Reserve & National Guard by AmeriForce. Site by SCBW