US, Cambodian Air Forces host airlift exercise

KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia - US and Cambodian Air Forces on Thursday highlighted Pacific Airlift Rally 2013 at Pochentong Air Base with a humanitarian assistance and air drop simulation, said a media statement from the US Embassy in Cambodia.

Pacific Airlift Rally, a biennial, military airlift symposium involving over 100 personnel from 20 nations in the Indo-Pacific region, started on Monday and would conclude on Friday, the statement said, adding that it focused on enhancing airlift coordination among regional air forces and providing multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

During the exercise on Thursday at the Pochentong Air Base situated about 35 kilometers west of capital Phnom Penh, four C- 130 aircraft belonging to the United States, Thailand and Malaysia simulated air drops in order to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief in the event of an emergency or disaster such as flooding, tsunami, or earthquake.

Lieutenant General Suon Samnang, chief of the Royal Cambodian Air Force, and Major General Russell Handy, director of operations, plans, and policy for the US Pacific Air Force, led the exercise by flying together in one of the C-130s.

US ambassador to Cambodia William E. Todd said at the air drop event that the exercise showcased the strengthening of the U. S.-Cambodia military relationship and demonstrated US assistance to the Cambodian people in times of need.

"The exercise is yet another example of America's commitment to developing the capacity of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces as a means to promote peace, prosperity, and security in Cambodia and throughout the Asia-Pacific region," he said.

"Military exercises like Pacific Airlift Rally are concrete examples of the US rebalance towards Asia to deepen relations with our network of Asian allies and broaden cooperation with our partners."

He said building capacity for Air Forces was critical in helping all participating countries to respond to regional crises-- regardless of the disaster or location.

Pacific Airlift Rally provides a venue to exchange humanitarian airlift, air-land, and air delivery techniques, the US Embassy' s statement said. During the five-day exercise, in addition to the air drops, there was also a "command post exercise", a tabletop simulation for staff officers to assemble, design a plan, and execute based on a given scenario that tests the group's skills in coordinating logistics with other organizations.

Pacific Airlift Rally's participants represented Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Laos, Maldives, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United States and Vietnam.

Last month, the US and Cambodian forces also jointly conducted a military exercise dubbed "Angkor Sentinel" in order to build up capacity for Cambodian forces in peacekeeping and stability operations.