US military heads to Cambodia for medical exercises

PHNOM PENH, 18 January 2013 (The Cambodia Herald) - The United States Marine Corps said marines and sailors had left Japan for Cambodia to conduct two weeks of medical exercises.

A statement said the 3rd Medical Battalion left Okinawa on Thursday and would work alongside Royal Cambodian Armed Forces medical personnel at the Phnom Penh Preah Ket Meleah Hospital.

"The US and Cambodian armed forces have conducted medical exercises together since 2007," it said. "The purpose of this year’s exercise is to exchange expertise and ideas to further develop both militaries’ medical capabilities."

The statement said that Lt Cmdr Lawrence Decker was in charge of the exercise with the battalion, part of Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

"We will observe our medical counterparts, so we can understand how they utilize equipment and handle the daily challenges they face," he said.

Chief Petty Officer Chris Guckeyson, the operations officer with the battalion, said such exercises, training and exchanges were valuable opportunities for all involved.

"A benefit of this is not only increased interoperability between the two nations, but increased medical capability, which fosters greater stability in the region," he said.

"It also helps the subject-matter experts because the cultural differences provide an opportunity to see their medical priorities as opposed to ours."