Washington Guard, Malaysia strengthen expeditionary capabilities

CAMP MURRAY, Wash. - Two Washington Army National Guard Soldiers joined Malaysian and active-duty U.S. Army counterparts for a weeklong working group, Aug. 3-7, at Camp Terendek in Melaka, Malaysia, focused on strengthening the Malaysian Army's expeditionary capabilities.

During the engagement, participants focused on developing expeditionary amphibious capabilities through maritime operations, beach landing procedures, logistics planning, weapons safety, tactical combat casualty care and leader development. While the training focused on individual and collective skills, the larger goal was to help Malaysia develop the leadership, procedures and interoperability needed to build an expeditionary Rapid Deployment Force.

For Sgt. Maj. Kyle Chaplin, Washington Army National Guard G3 operations sergeant major and the Washington National Guard lead for the engagement, building that capability starts with disciplined training and strong noncommissioned officer (NCO) leadership.

"Brilliance in the basics, disciplined leadership, safety, repetition and professional noncommissioned officer development, these are foundational elements for the future success of the Rapid Deployment Force," Chaplin said.

That emphasis carried into the training, where junior NCO leaders were given opportunities to instruct, mentor and take ownership of training.

"Maintaining an NCO-led training environment empowers junior leaders to instruct and mentor," Chaplin said. "That crawl-walk-run approach improves confidence, teamwork and command execution."

Throughout the engagement, Malaysian cadre incorporated recommendations from their U.S. counterparts, including using smaller training groups, increasing hands-on instruction and placing greater emphasis on safety. Washington National Guard leaders also recognized the Malaysian Top Instructor and Top Student for their performance during the working group.

Participants identified areas for continued development, including joint doctrine, communications, command relationships, logistics and standardized procedures needed to support longer-duration expeditionary operations.

The engagement also strengthened Washington's relationship with the Malaysian Armed Forces and demonstrated the value of sustained cooperation through the State Partnership Program. Chaplin said future opportunities, including U.S. Army Air Assault training, Keris Strike, Bersama Warrior and another Rapid Deployment Force working group, will continue supporting Malaysia's long-term expeditionary capability development.

As Washington and Malaysia prepare to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their State Partnership Program relationship in 2027, engagements such as the Rapid Deployment Force working group demonstrate how nearly a decade of sustained cooperation has evolved from individual exchanges into enduring relationships and greater interoperability between the two forces.