Brig. Gen. Mike Bridges, commander
of the Alaska Army National Guard, met with Dumaa Namsrai, deputy chief, National
Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to discuss matters of emergency
preparedness and future training partnerships between their two respective
nations at the NEMA office in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, during Khaan Quest 12,
Aug. 13.

Bridges attended the meeting while in Mongolia as part of the National Guard
State Partnership Program. He also visited Khaan Quest, a regularly scheduled,
multinational exercise sponsored by the U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) and hosted
annually by the Mongolian Armed Forces. Khaan Quest 12 is the latest in a
continuing series of exercises designed to promote regional peace and security.
This exercise marks the tenth iteration of this regionally significant training
event.

During the meeting, Bridges explained that, like NEMA’s role in Mongolia, the
Alaska National Guard was one of the organizations in Alaska responsible for
responding to natural disasters. The significance of the meeting was emphasized
by the fact that both Alaska and Mongolia share a likelihood of catastrophic
earthquakes.

“It’s not a matter of if,” said Bridges, “it’s a matter of when.”

In Alaska, preparing for emergency scenarios is more than just hypothetical
training. In 1964, Alaska was hit by a 9.2 magnitude earthquake, the most
powerful one ever to hit North America, and the second most powerful ever
recorded by a seismograph. That earthquake resulted in approximately 130
deaths.

Through his translator, Namsrai explained that NEMA’s main duties are to
protect the civilians of their nation. Working with organizations like the
National Guard in its ongoing state partnership program with Mongolia was an
important endeavor, as his president was also greatly concerned with earthquake
risks.

Bridges went on to explain that part of preparedness also entailed educating
the public. In Alaska, education of the public about natural disaster risks and
the steps the public could take to prepare for such emergencies was critical in
minimizing the loss of life in the event of a natural disaster. In Operation Be
Prepared, the public sector of Alaska was educated through radio, print and
television materials.

“The community needs to know on a regular basis,” Bridges said.

After so many years, he explained, the level of awareness dwindles as people
forget, move on, and as leadership in the organizations tasked with responding
to such emergencies change over. By continuing to train for these kinds of
scenarios, the information stays current, and the awareness does not give way
to complacency.

Namsrai expressed his wish to continue to work with foreign organizations and
the National Guard, acknowledging the importance of sharing procedures and
technology with one another.

Bridges then mentioned a future training exercise called Vigilant Guard,
scheduled to take place in Alaska in 2014, that will simulate an earthquake and
tsunami with mass casualties. His hope was that Mongolia would be able to send
some of its counterparts to participate in the exercise.

On behalf of his nation’s president, Namsrai expressed his appreciation for the
invitation to the exercise.

It is engagements like this – state partnership programs like the one between
Mongolia and the Alaska National Guard – or USARPAC-sponsored exercises like
Khaan Quest that continue to strengthen the bonds between nations and help
secure a better future for all involved.

At the end of the meeting, the two exchanged gifts with one another, taking a
piece of their counterpart’s culture with them.