Vietnamese, Indonesian officials visit Andersen for information exchange

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Shane Dunaway
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  Members of the 736th Security Forces Squadron hosted Vietnamese and Indonesian officials for the Subject Matter Expert Exchange held here May 17-19.

Col. Tran Van Thuan and Mr. Cu Huy Cuong from Vietnam and Maj. Agung Satya Wibowo and Capt. Tatiet Rodadi from Indonesia visited several sites around Andersen and Northwest Field.

Lt. Col. Troy Roberts, 736th SFS commander, led a five-man team that conducted the tour, which was centered around security forces. This was the first event of its kind sponsored by 13th Air Force here, hosted by the 736th SFS.

Earlier this year, the 736th SFS sent three security forces team members to India as part of the 13th Air Force's Theater Security Cooperation program with the nation.

"These events are exchanges where it is supposed to be interactive with all participating nations giving input," Colonel Roberts said. "The long-term goal is to build a common understanding for each other's capabilities and to integrate U.S. Air Force security forces with partner nations' security forces to better fight threats or respond to human or natural disasters."

The three-day visit primarily focused on demonstrating Andersen's capabilities at the Command Warrior training facility.

"[Since it was] a security forces subject matter exchange, they were really focused on force protection, antiterrorism, integrated defense and [similar] concepts," Colonel Roberts said, "We showed them Pacific Air Forces' Regional Training Center, or PRTC, at Northwest Field and talked to them about what the future holds for the PRTC. There is an enormous amount of construction planned for the near future.

"Command Warrior is a natural fit for the SMEE events as they have instructors [and] training facilities," the colonel added. "It is also on U.S. soil which eases the coordination passport/visa process for partner nations to visit."

The visit was also an opportunity to showcase Team Andersen's ingenuity.

"We also toured Andersen South and demonstrated how we have converted dilapidated housing units into a viable training area," Colonel Roberts said. "This could be a more viable option for countries that want to build their own training facilities, but find it challenging to fund large construction projects."

The SMEE also created a free flow of information and ideas between each nation.

"We've [exposed] them to our potential for growth here at PACAF's Regional Training Center at Northwest Field," Colonel Roberts said. "What we would like to do one day in the future is have the capacity for partner nations to send their noncommissioned officers and airmen to the Center."

During the visit, leaders from Andersen also caught a glimpse of the visiting nations' philosophies.

"One of the things we learned that was unique is that neither [country] had deployed their security forces outside of the boundaries of their countries," Colonel Roberts said. "They're very interested in how the U.S. Air Force deploys its security teams abroad. They see a potential for their own countries to participate in international humanitarian relief efforts within PACOM."

Both nations' visitors departed the island May 20 and one visitor definitely left feeling empowered to present new ideas within his organization.

"It was a good experience to visit the 736th SFS," Major Wibowo said. "The materials were presented in an excellent way. We could understand the capabilities and duties conducted by the 736th SFS. We absorbed many things clearly and I'd like to advise our headquarters Commander to apply some of the material."