The multilateral Regional Cooperation military exercise focuses on rapid responses to protect civilians
UNIPATH STAFF | Photos by 1st Lt. David J. Schwab/U.S. Army
A country racked by decades of civil war, government corruption and lawlessness is on the brink of descending further into chaos. Huge numbers of civilians flee to camps to escape the violence and famine afflicting the nation, but long-standing ethnic and tribal hostilities, kidnappings, illegal checkpoints and dwindling resources instigate a humanitarian crises of epic proportions. Desperate to protect civilians, the United Nations calls upon a multinational brigade to intervene.
This fictitious scenario served as the backdrop for U.S. Central Command’s 2016 Regional Cooperation (RC 16) multinational command-post military exercise. Forces from Central and South Asia and the United States were enlisted to address this complex crisis and assist in stabilizing and pacifying the failing state.
The exercise, which occurred in September 2016 at Joint Base Cape Cod in the United States, brought together more than 200 participants, mostly from the militaries of Pakistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Tajikistan, the U.S. and Kazakhstan.
Building strong relationships and increasing the capabilities of international forces supporting stability operations were among the main focuses of RC 16.
“It’s very important to cooperate at the international and regional levels so that, together, we can meet and overcome the changing threats,” Pakistani Brig. Gen. Shahid Imtiaz said.
With a strong history of participation in international peacekeeping operations, Pakistan was the lead nation for RC 16. Within the exercise scenario, Brig. Gen. Shahid was charged with leading a U.N. Force Intervention Brigade whose mission was to help usher the population toward a stable society that adheres to the rule of law and respects human rights.
The brigadier general called the exercise an “excellent opportunity” for participating militaries from the U.S. and South and Central Asia to exhibit cooperation and build partnerships.
RC 16 began with four days of staff integration training for the forces, followed by a one-day seminar that focused on best practices, hosted by the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. The seminar was good preparation for the realistic scenarios that engaged forces during the main part of the exercise, Brig. Gen. Shahid said.
Over the course of the first few days, the brigade staff was challenged with responding to attacks on camps of internally displaced people (IDP), border incursions, medical emergencies, human trafficking and illegal checkpoints that prevented much-needed aid from getting to camps. It was helpful that the vast majority of Pakistan’s delegation has served on U.N. peacekeeping missions. Brig. Gen. Shahid praised the exercise. “It’s very realistic — very well done,” he said.
Challenging the multinational group with realistic scenarios so they could improve rapid response and global military coordination was an important objective. Another was to build relationships so countries can more effectively address common threats.
“I think we will all come to understand that modern threats know no boundaries and that it takes a multifaceted collective approach to mitigate threats and achieve common goals,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Ralph Groover III, Director of Exercises and Training at U.S. Central Command. “As the largest U.S. mil-to-mil exercise in the Central Asian region, Regional Cooperation 16 gives us an unparalleled opportunity to strengthen relationships with our partners so that we can overcome these complex security challenges.”
The exercise has been held annually since 2001 with participation from countries in Central and South Asia. Its location rotates; the 2015 exercise was held in Tajikistan. In addition to U.S. Central Command and the participants of the partner nations this year’s exercise included the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Staff, the Massachusetts National Guard, the U.S. Army’s 352nd Civil Affairs Command, linguists from the U.S. Army’s 300th Military Intelligence Brigade and the U.S. Army War College’s Peacekeeping and Stability Institute.
“This year’s exercise is in a field environment to better simulate a real U.N. mission,” said Regional Cooperation lead planner Maj. Robert McCracken. Forces worked in tents and had to contend with protecting computers and communications system from rain and harsh weather without interruptions to operations.
Kazakhstani Lt. Col. Atlant Toleukhanov said the exercise will help improve his country’s ability to support peacekeeping operations. And he said it was a great opportunity to learn and exchange experiences with others.
“When an exercise of this scale is held with multiple nations participating, you can more easily see and analyze the strong points and the weak points. This will help you improve and work toward better interoperability,” Toleukhanov said.
One of the Kyrgyz officers working in the public affairs cell of the exercise — that part of the brigade tasked with communicating with the media and the public — echoed these sentiments. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to work at this level. It’s been very exciting for me to work with these officers and to see how they do things differently in the same area of work,” the Kyrgyz officer said, adding that he believes that based upon the exercise objectives, they have achieved success, especially with building relations with partner nations.
Mongolian Lt. Col. Erdenesuren Lichil described the exercise as a valuable opportunity to train with regional partners in case they ever combine forces to keep the peace or respond to natural disasters.
“To achieve the aim of the mission, all international actors in U.N. missions need to cooperate, communicate and coordinate professionally. In a U.N. mission, the military component is comprised of U.N. member states that support U.N. staffs, NGOs, and international committees related to the mission,” Lt. Col. Lichil said. “The Mongolian participants came here to learn more by improving staff planning, coordination and decision-making skills and to share knowledge and experience with participant nations during the exercises.”
One of the female officers working in the Regional Cooperation was Pakistani Maj. Mahreen Ali. Both within the exercise and back in Pakistan she served as a legal officer, and during the exercise she consulted with the multinational forces on rules of engagement and international law. “The best part is learning. I’ve learned a lot,” she said. “Different countries have different ways of working. That’s important to see and experience so that we are all prepared.”
Throughout the exercise, the brigade, authorized to use lethal force if necessary, was asked to track down corrupt forces and criminals trying to profit from the chaos, protect civilians from ethnic violence, coordinate with nongovernmental organizations providing aid, and negotiate with rebel leaders. Participants also faced the daunting task of easing the suffering of a starving population infected with cholera and dysentery in their IDP camps. “All of these events are based on real world events,” said Joint Staff exercise scenario manager Linda Exterkate. The goal for the brigade was to work together to facilitate conditions for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration to strengthen the fragile nation.
Brig. Gen. Shahid expressed pride in the brigade’s performance and was pleased with the valuable experience gained by troops. Central Asian countries will have a large role to play in securing and stabilizing the region, he said, so it’s good that they participate in such exercises to increase familiarity with the practices of partner nations.
“The scope of this exercise in this forum adds a new dimension,” he said. “Pakistan and Central Asia are virtually neighbors, thus the safety and security of Central Asia is critically important to Pakistan. A lot of things are happening in our region, and we hope that Pakistan can be a conduit for regional peace and prosperity.”