CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – A group of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear, or CBRN, experts from the Washington National Guard and the National Guard Bureau played a key role in the 3rd Indo-Pacific Health Alliance for Security, or IPHAS, summit June 7-8 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The summit, co-hosted by the Malaysian Armed Forces; U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, or INDOPACOM; and the Australian Defence Force, focused on strengthening civil-military collaboration for regional resilience.
The National Guard Bureau's liaison officer to INDOPACOM was requested to support a tabletop exercise centered on responding to a radiological emergency. During several months, the liaison officer was part of a larger collaborative planning group, working alongside INDOPACOM and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help design the exercise scenario, which was a priority training area for the Malaysian government.
Supporting the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, or SPP, between the Washington National Guard and Malaysia, a specialized team deployed to the summit, including four soldiers from the Washington National Guard's 420th Chemical Battalion.
During the summit, the National Guard Bureau representative served as a facilitator for one of the exercise tables, guiding a group of Malaysian and international participants through the complex scenarios, answering questions and helping them stay on track. Concurrently, the soldiers from the 420th Chemical Battalion served as dedicated Subject Matter Experts for the broader exercise. They provided a vital "reachback" capability, allowing participants to ask highly technical questions as they navigated the radiological port scenario. Their collective involvement fostered interoperability and fulfilled a critical request from Malaysia.
"This mission was the culmination of months of planning and work from a lot of participants who helped design and plan, to in-person execution," said Maj. Luis Torres, National Guard Bureau liaison officer to INDOPACOM. "Being on the ground to help facilitate this exercise allows us to build on our strong partnership with Malaysia and directly addresses a critical training need they requested."
The IPHAS summit brought together military leaders and civilian representatives from more than 21 nations to discuss pressing health security challenges, particularly CBRN threats.
In addition to supporting the exercise, the combined National Guard team participated in a high-level meeting with Lt. Gen. Datuk Dr. Zulkeffeli Mat Jusoh, the Malaysian Armed Forces Health Services director-general. The engagement, which also included senior leaders from INDOPACOM, focused on identifying future opportunities for CBRN training and collaboration. The discussion concluded with a plan to hold a meeting in July to further articulate Malaysia’s specific training needs.
As the first Subject Matter Expert Exchange of its kind for this partnership, the Washington National Guard and the Malaysian Armed Forces look forward to continuing and developing this exchange in support of U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur, INDOPACOM, and broader regional security goals. This engagement directly supports the National Guard's strategic objectives of building and maintaining partnerships abroad, demonstrating the Guard's enduring commitment to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.