Partnership Exchange Strengthens Task Force Procedures and Security at Laem Chabang Port > US Indo-Pacific Command > View News Articles

Eight members of the Washington National Guard recently visited the port of Laem Chabang, the longest exchange in the 22-year relationship between Washington and the Kingdom of Thailand.

From August 16-27, the team participated in a multi-faceted exchange with port personnel. This year's exchange had a list of objectives, including introducing and assessing cyber threats and security, reviewing the fundamentals of incident command synchronization, improving first aid and medical care during a mass casualty exercise, reviewing and practicing decontamination procedures, and establishing a command center during an integrated, multi-departmental, multi-hazard, multi-casualty response.

“The purpose of this exchange was fully achieved,” said Captain Matthew Carey, a medical officer and leader of the exchange.

The Port of Laem Chabang is a deep-water port on the Gulf of Thailand. It is critical to trade in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Northwest. As one of Asia's busiest ports, much of the cargo from this port enters the United States through the Port of Tacoma. Since 2005, Guardsmen have traveled from Seattle to Pattaya, Thailand, to participate in a multi-day exchange with the port that includes security, incident command systems (ICS), hazardous materials and chemical preparedness and response, biological, radiological and nuclear explosives, and medical and crisis communications.

“Our partner port's ability to respond quickly to hazards and accidents, thereby mitigating economic and operational impacts, is of significant strategic value. As Thailand's only deep-water port, any disruption to operations has significant secondary and tertiary impacts,” Carey said. “This was the first time cyber courses and assessments were offered. There have been recent cyber ransomware attacks on the terminals at the port, which have highlighted the importance of cybersecurity.”

With the increasing number of criminal and state-sponsored cyber threats, it is imperative for port operations to consider potential threats and vulnerabilities. The Washington National Guard has emphasized cybersecurity in numerous discussions over the past few years.

“Integrating cyber into every subject exchange would be helpful in the future. Cyber-specific courses do not take up the majority of class time,” Carey said. “We need to continue to identify cyber integration with impacts and expected responses for the next missions.”

This year's exchange also focused on continuing to share best practices in emergency response preparedness in a port environment. The exchange was fortunate to include a number of experts who leveraged their civilian professional backgrounds in fire services, 10th Civil Support Team, medical and incident command.

“The technical nature of the subject matter often requires the deliberate involvement of subject matter experts,” Carey said.

Carey also believes the value of the exchange can be increased by incorporating visits from port management in the Pacific Northwest.

“We should look at how the port management comes here and gets a feel for how we manage ICS and respond to threats,” Carey said.

The next exchange is planned for spring 2025 at the port of Laem Chabang.