Bangladesh, US begin disaster response exercise

The Bangladesh Armed Forces Division and U.S. Army Pacific on Sunday began their participation in the Pacific Resilience Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange (DREE), a civil-military disaster preparedness and response initiative between the governments of the two countries.

The exercise will run October 8-12, in Dhaka and Mymensingh, Bangladesh.

"Disaster preparedness is a vital component of national security and we welcome the opportunity to exchange best practices with our Bangladeshi partners," said U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat.

The Bangladesh DREE will focus on earthquake response plans for Dhaka and engage participants in logistical and medical emergency scenarios.

Participants will review plans and procedures in order to improve communication and coordination. The Bangladesh DREE will involve 350 participants working through a phased table-top exercise and 1,100 participants in the field training exercise.

The exercise will involve a wide range of Bangladeshi government organizations, international organizations (IO), international government organizations (IGO), and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs).