Two weeks of planning and friendship-making were highlighted during a closing ceremony here at Bersama Warrior 2023, June 16, 2023, and was officiated by Malaysian Joint Forces Assistant Chief of Staff, Royal Malaysian Army Maj. Gen. Hj Fazal bin Hj Abdul Rahman, and Washington National Guard Director of the Joint Staff, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Johan Deutscher.

Bersama Warrior is an annual joint, bilateral exercise sponsored by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and hosted by the Malaysian Armed Forces. This year’s iteration is a staff exercise that provides preparatory planning for the Bersama Warrior 2024 Command Post Exercise.

“The collective experiences gained from this exercise are far beyond what we could have obtained on our own,” Rahman said. “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.”

Malaysian and American service members followed the steps for planning a response to a crisis on the notional continent of Pacifica using the military decision-making process and multinational forces standard operating procedures. The experience taught the training audience the importance of interoperability and unity of action for not only the two countries but also members who belong to different branches of the military.

The capacity to respond to crises together was made stronger through relationship building as well.

The night before the closing ceremonies, the Malaysian Armed Forces hosted a ‘cultural night’ for the exercise participants that featured traditional Malaysian dancing and music. Counterparts dined on Malaysian cuisine and strengthened bonds that were built over the previous two weeks. By experiencing the cultural nuances of Malaysia up close, U.S. military personnel developed a deeper understanding of their partner country, facilitating stronger interpersonal relationships and cooperation.

“The dancing, the singing, the festivities… it was amazing,” Deutscher said at the closing ceremony.

The primary American training audience for Bersama Warrior were the more than 30 American service members from the Washington National Guard. Since signing their formal partnership through the National Guard Bureau-sponsored State Partnership Program in August 2017, the Washington National Guard and Malaysian Armed Forces have participated in subject matter expert exchanges and exercises like Bersama Warrior.

“I’m overjoyed by the progress in our relationship and Bersama Warrior 2023 has furthered our interoperability with Malaysian forces. It sharpened our skills to take a complex, joint environment problem and tackle it together,” said Lt. Col. Keith Kosik, director of the Washington National Guard’s State Partnership Program and exercise participant. “Our people-to-people relationships, forged through joint exercises like Bersama Warrior, show our enduring commitment to our allies and partners and a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Regular interactions like Bersama Warrior, the shared experiences, and multinational forces training foster mutual understanding, trust, and confidence among military personnel.

“We are truly grateful to the U.S. Department of Defense for providing this significant and exceptional opportunity through the National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program to conduct bilateral exercises of this magnitude,” Rahman said when concluding his speech. “I believe such efforts will continue to define our relations and be refined in the coming years.”