The second ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Military Medicine (MM) / Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise, or AM-HEx, came to a close on 9 Sep in Chonburi, Thailand.
About 2,000 personnel from 18 participating nations took part in the exercise held over 11 days, which included the Force Integration Training and various briefings.
At the opening ceremony on 5 Sep, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Director of Joint Operations Rear-Admiral Frederick Chew said: "For MM and HADR operations, this ADMM-Plus exercise is an important one for militaries in the region and beyond to strengthen our joint capabilities, and also helps to foster confidence and strengthen military-to-military relations across all levels."
AM-HEx was a multinational exercise that challenged the 18 ADMM-Plus countries' militaries to coordinate MM/HADR operations in response to disaster scenarios involving tsunamis and earthquakes. The ADMM-Plus comprises 18 countries, namely the 10 ASEAN countries as well as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.
The tasks included Search and Rescue (SAR) operations, evacuation of casualties and delivery of medical aid to affected areas. The exercise also tested the standard operating procedures of the newly established ASEAN Centre for Military Medicine, based in Thailand.
The Multinational Coordination Centre (MNCC) at the 14th Military Circle, which is located in one of the Royal Thai Armed Forces' military camps, was the nerve centre of the operations.
There, each militaries' contributions were collated and the appropriate response to each request for assistance was coordinated.
As part of the exercise scenario, the SAF responded to the call for aid and dispatched two Super Puma helicopters and their crew for SAR operations, a medical team as well as a team from the Changi Regional HADR Coordination Centre (RHCC) which set up the OPERA Computer Information System (CIS) to aid the MNCC in its coordination efforts.
The OPERA CIS presents a common situational picture for its users. It maximises efficiency by collating critical information such as casualty numbers and the type of aid contributed by different armed forces and agencies, to prevent duplication and better identify needs.
Said Exercise Director, Thai Royal Armed Forces' Lieutenant-General Somsak Roongsita: "I was the one who decided to use OPERA as the software . It has proven itself (to be) valuable and suitable for this exercise."
MAJ Eddie Siak, Head C4, Changi RHCC and leader of the Singapore C4 Team in Thailand noted of the Command Post Exercise: "Working hand in hand with the Thais, we have collectively come up with optimal solutions to maximise the resources available for the exercise.
"The good synergy in the Thai-Singapore C4 team has contributed significantly to the success of the Command Post Exercise."
Out in the field, the SAF medical team, led by MAJ (Dr) Tan Mian Yi, set up their field medical facility as part of the Field Training Exercise.
The SAF medical team worked together with other militaries to tend to casualties evacuated from the disaster site. Over the course of the exercise, they saw injuries of varying severities, such as skin abrasions and open fractures of the upper limb. The most severe case they dealt with was hypovolemic shock, a life-threatening situation where the casualty has lost more than 20 percent of his bodily fluids.
MAJ (Dr) Tan said: "We have learnt much from our counterparts participating in this exercise and are confident we would be able to contribute significantly in the future should an unfortunate disaster strike."
He added: "Exercises such as AM-HEx provide a platform for international military medical teams to understand each other's capabilities and working styles. This allows familiarity among partnering countries for future deployment in HADR missions -- ensuring greater synergy and effectiveness of medical teams rendering aid on the ground."
Said CPT (Dr) Aaron Chua, an Aviation Medical Officer from The Republic of Singapore Air Force Medical Service: "Participating in this exercise has given me a better understanding of how aeromedical support capabilities from various nations can be used effectively to successful in a HADR mission."
COL Lee Kuan Chung, Director RHCC and Head of the Singapore Detachment concluded: "When we come together, we make new friends (and) we enhance each other's understanding on how we operate and this will certainly help when we come together for a HADR mission."