CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – Soldiers from the Washington Army National Guard joined Thai partners for a week-long subject matter expert exchange at the Port of Laem Chabang and Sri Racha Hospital, March 2-9, reinforcing a partnership of more than two decades focused on emergency response and interoperability at the port.
“The purpose of this exchange was to continue to improve the port’s all-hazard response while establishing the incident command [IC] center and patient evacuation route at the alternate site,” said Capt. Matthew Carey, the officer in charge and medical lead for the exchange. “The goal is to build a unified, all-hazards response that can operate seamlessly under pressure.”
Since 2005, the Washington National Guard has partnered with Thai officials at the port, marking this as a premier exchange in their 24-year state partnership. The bilateral training effort, conducted twice annually, focuses on incident management, chemical decontamination and medical response at the port through a complex full-scale disaster scenario. This year’s exercise combined a simulated lithium battery fire with a shipboard pandemic, challenging participants to respond across multiple domains simultaneously.
For the first time, the training extended beyond the port itself, incorporating Sri Racha Hospital as a primary operational site. The shift tested alternate evacuation routes, including a pier and helipad, and required participants to adapt to a new environment while maintaining coordination across agencies.
“The purpose of this exchange was achieved in full. The alternate patient evacuation site and the incident command were established at the hospital. New leadership was utilized for the incident command with guidance from the Port Authority leadership,” Carey said. “This was a change in that we saw previous students taking the lead in teaching the next generation of leadership.”
Despite the added complexity, the exercise achieved its primary objectives. A clear incident command structure was established, and Thai-led teams demonstrated increasing ownership in planning and executing the scenario. Communication systems and logistical support enabled responders to maintain situational awareness and coordinate actions across the simulated crisis.
“This scenario introduced new challenges, including the transfer of patients in isolation containment units from ship to ship and from ship to shore,” Carey said. “There was strong interagency coordination and high levels of engagement during hands-on training.”
The Port of Laem Chabang is one of Southeast Asia’s busiest deep-sea ports, and the partnership between the Guard and the port underscores a strategically important relationship centered on readiness and resilience in a globally significant economic hub. As one of the region’s key logistics gateways, the port’s ability to respond effectively to hazards is critical to preventing disruptions across international supply chains.
This year’s exchange followed Cobra Gold 2026, during which Carey, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kristin Retherford, Sgt. 1st Class Ricky Manglona and Victor Aguilar supported the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, or HADR, exercise.
“I was in Thailand for 24 days total,” Retherford said. “Cobra Gold HADR enhanced my understanding of Thailand disaster response by immersing us with civilian agencies who may be involved in a port disaster. Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation [DDPM] establishes guidelines and standard operating procedures to support and enable response protocols, which includes Port Laem Chabang.”
Retherford believes the lessons learned during the spring exchange and Cobra Gold will carry on to the next exchange later this year.
“Practicing these tactics, techniques and procedures better prepare our team to support emergency responders at the port,” Retherford said.