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US and Thai armies conducted joint exercises.
Soldiers from the U.S. Army's 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team and the Royal Thai Army's 12 Infantry Regiment conducted a combined staff subject matter expert exchange January 29 - 31, 2019, at Camp Nimman Kolayut, Thailand, as part of Exercise Hanuman Guardian.
A Royal Thai Army soldier asks a question about U.S. unit organization structure at a brief held Jan. 29, 2019, at Camp Nimman Kolayut, Thailand. Exercise Hanuman Guardian increases readiness, interoperability and collaboration between the U.S. and Thai Armies in order to achieve effective solutions to common challenges.
Each army gave a block of instruction on their respective nation's military unit organization, capabilities, war fighting functions and military decision-making process. Staff sections later broke out into small groups to have focused discussions on their role during each step of the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP).
The combined staff then conducted a mini staff exercise designed to further the understanding of each nation's MDMP in order to increase the interoperability between the two armies. Discussions were encouraged to highlight the differences in methodology.
"There are some differences in how the Royal Thai Army is constructed when compared to our Army," said Warrant Officer Brad Connerbeck, the 1-2 SBCT intelligence officer for Hanuman Guardian. "For instance, our units, such as a brigade combat team, may look structurally the same Army wide, but Royal Thai Army units can be built differently compared to similar units depending on multiple factors."
There were also some differences to the Royal Thai Army's MDMD such as using four steps versus the U.S. Army's seven step process, Connerbeck added. However, these four steps included much of the same procedures as the seven.
"These exchanges are important as we continue to foster and build relationships between the Royal Thai Army and the U.S. Army," Connerbeck said. "We now know how they operate as a staff, which will speed up our planning processes if we had to work together in the future."
