SPOKANE, Wash. - The Washington National Guard hosted Malaysia's Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team, or SMART, this fall for a domestic response workshop that marked the first "civilian-to-civilian" engagement under the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, or SPP, conducted in Washington state.
The week-long workshop, held in Spokane in late September 2025, focused on domestic disaster response training. It was coordinated through the State Partnership Program, a federal initiative that links U.S. National Guard units with partner nations worldwide.
The workshop marked a notable step in the partnership that was formed in 2017 between the Washington National Guard and the Malaysian Armed Forces.
The Washington National Guard, 10th Homeland Response Force, Spokane Valley Fire Department, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and Airmen with the 304th Rescue Squadron hosted members of the Malaysian National Disaster Management Agency, or NADMA, SMART team. The National Disaster Management Agency is Malaysia's central disaster management agency that coordinates the Malaysian government's response to disasters, including managing assets such as the SMART team.
SMART is an elite, internationally certified Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) task force. Managed by NADMA, this team draws its personnel from the Malaysian Armed Forces, the Royal Malaysia Police and the Fire and Rescue Department.
“The most important thing is the partnerships that we have with other countries [and] being able to work together,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Dereck Reese with the Washington National Guard’s 10th Homeland Response Force. “That's a huge deal. If we ever got called to assist them—or if they ever got called to assist us—building that relationship is super important, and just learning different things and sharing that knowledge.”
The Malaysian personnel received training in civilian search and rescue operations, including specific skills such as swiftwater rescue techniques. A key component included breaking and breaching procedures, or drilling and cutting through materials to access areas during rescue missions.
The Malaysian SMART team members working with the Washington National Guard were civilians, including police and firefighters, Reese said.
The SPP facilitates military-to-military and military-to-civilian cooperation. Previous SPP exercises, such as the annual Bersama Warrior, have focused on enhancing military interoperability. The recent workshop expanded this partnership to include civilian search and rescue expertise.
“The training was developed since last year, focusing on the strategic level,” said Safriz Bin Swahini, Deputy Superintendent of Police and head of logistics for the Malaysian disaster assistance and rescue team. “So [by] bringing the teams to the United States, we were engaging with the U.S. Embassy [and] trying to find what's the best type of training that can be done.”