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Sep 19, 2023

ISG SUPPORTS 2023 EXERCISE KERIS AMAN

By Lance Sells

ISG’s Peacekeeping and Exercises (PKX) Team recently concluded its support to Exercise Keris Aman 23 – co-hosted by the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) at the Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Keris Aman 23 ran from August 13-26, 2023, and is the largest annual international peacekeeping field training exercises in the world. Keris Aman 23 enables instructors from multiple countries to integrate and provide cross education, further strengthening interoperability between allies and partners. 

Nearly 800 personnel, including 66 U.S. and 426 Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) personnel participated. Keris Aman 23 consisted of UN peacekeeping operations staff training, field training events in areas such as explosive ordnance disposal, medical planning/first aid, patrolling, checkpoint operations, and gender protection. This critical enabler staff and field training focused on UN and international peacekeeping and stability operations.  

With funding support from the U.S. State Department’s Global Programs and Initiatives (GPOI), ISG played a central role in the overall success of this exercise. Epitomizing the Train-the-Trainer concept, the ISG PKX Team executed two preceding Lane Training Development events that prepared trainers from the 19 participating countries to design, and then to lead, the training on six Field training lanes and four Staff training lanes during the exercise. The 50 Instructors trained in this process then went on to train most of the personnel participating in the Keris Aman 23 exercise.  

Throughout the exercise, ISG’s 13 subject matter experts guided and mentored the training cadre to further develop their instructional skills and methodologies that they will subsequently carry home with them to their national peacekeeping training centers.         

Military personnel traveled from across the Indo-Pacific to participate in the exercise. Partner nations included Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uruguay and Vietnam. Notably, many of the participants have already been assigned for near-term service in ongoing United Nations Peacekeeping missions and/or service in their national peacekeeping training centers.   

At the closing ceremony, MAF Joint Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Haji Fazal Bin Haji Abdul Rahman, highlighted:

Personnel in peacekeeping missions come from diverse organizations and nations yet must coordinate together in each peacekeeping mission. The collective experiences gained from this multinational exercise are far beyond what we could have obtained on our own. It has provided us with priceless exposures, experiences, and lessons that will be a guiding platform to enhance our capabilities and continuously prepare for any uncertainties.

During the exercise, Malaysian, American, and other partner nation forces worked together to enhance interoperability and mission effectiveness in common tactics, techniques, and procedures in accordance with UN doctrine, with the objective of furthering UN peacekeeping troop performance in regional peace operations. 

ISG will also support next year’s iteration of the multinational peacekeeping exercise series which will be Shanti Prayas IV at the Birendra Peace Operations Training Center in Panchkhal, Nepal in February of 2024.