An international military exercise, codenamed ‘Gobi Wolf 2018’, began on Monday in Mongolia’s western province of Khovd.

Gobi Wolf 2018 is a five-day disaster response exercise and exchange event between the government of Mongolia and U.S. Army Pacific focused on interagency coordination.

This year’s exercise is co-organised under the theme ‘Organising regional management and interaction’ and in two stages, including classroom training and practices in replicated real-world situations.

The exercise will involve more than 650 participants, including those from Mongolia, the United States, international organizations, and the embassies of France, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Korea, Australia, Japan, Thailand and Nepal to Mongolia.

During the exercise, the participants will share experiences and organise comprehensive training on search-rescue operations in swift river currents and perilous mountain heights  with the help of military dogs and emergency medical attention to disaster victims. In addition, the training will be held on mobilising women toward greater preparation in facing disasters and emergency situations.

Mongolia’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has hosted ‘Gobi Wolf’ with support from Mongolian armed forces and conducted joint exercises with the U.S. Pacific Command since 2009, except for the years of 2013 and 2014, covering disaster scenarios common to Mongolia including earthquakes, floods and mining incidents.