The Washington National Guard is busy.

Dedicated to the mission of safeguarding lives and property in Washington state, the Guard also ably serves overseas.

“Citizen soldiers offer a wealth of experience and knowledge,” said Maj. Wil Johnston, director, State Partnership Program (SPP).

Created in 2002, the SPP maintains a long-term relationship designed to share the military’s “best practices” with civilian authorities, emergency management, disaster planning, port security, hazardous materials/weapons of mass destruction (HAZMAT/WMD) response initiatives and airport security.

Specific to Washington, the Kingdom of Thailand is the other half of the partnership program.

The State Partnership Program began in 1821 when American envoy Edmund Roberts oversaw the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the two countries.

Since then, the relationship between the two countries has grown.

Of vital interest to both countries is the protection of the ports of Bangkok and Leam Chabang.

“Helping the Thais to protect their ports from a terrorist attack or natural disaster is of vital concern to us,” said Col. Scott Elder, a ranking member of the Joint United States Military Advising Group – Thailand (JUSMAGTHAI).

Over 90 percent of the country’s gross national product (GNP) comes through the ports.

The SPP facilitates economic, commercial, social and cultural government interactions in addition to military-to-military exchanges.

For the visiting 16 civilian (firefighters and medical personnel) and government officials (national security council) from Thailand, the program offers an opportunity to share information specific to disaster and terrorist response.

“Thailand and the United States help each other,” continued Elder.

“They’ve been very cooperative in helping us with humanitarian aid efforts and in fighting terrorism.”

As for the present, the Thai delegation recently traveled to the HAMMER (Hazardous Materials Management And Emergency Response) training facility at Hanford.

“This experience has been good for us,” commented Mr. “Bobby,” an emergency medical service officer.

“In Thailand we make a lot of assumptions when we train; here in America you make it real.”

He had hit the nail on the head.

Opened in 1997, the 586 square mile HAMMER center is utilized by law enforcement, members of the first responder community and other agencies that require specific training.

“We accomplish a lot of very important and good training here,” pointed out Brad Jackson, a program manager for civil support team training, as he showed the Thai delegation around the facility.

Everything from radioactive detection training and fire suppression to decontamination procedures, weapons training and rescue from confined quarters was viewed.

The cooperation between the Washington National Guard and the Kingdom of Thailand has benefited both entities.

As the Thai delegation boarded a Chinook to make the trip back to Fort Lewis, one Thai delegate turned and said, “This has been very good for us, and we are honored to have been here.”

Photo: Members of a civilian and governmental delegation from the Kingdom of Thailand board a Washington Army National Guard Chinook after a visit to the HAMMER (Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response) training facility at Hanford. Photography by J.M. Simpson