At Site 13 in Karang Baros, Indonesia, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training delivered a real outcome for the local community.
Once a medical facility, the building had fallen into disrepair after heavy rainfall caused extensive roof leaks, mould and structural damage. Indonesian military personnel completed significant restoration work before engineers from New Zealand, Australia and the United States joined the project during Exercise Trident Resolve to help return the facility to service.
Lieutenant Tegan Andrews-Paul, New Zealand Defence Force officer in charge of construction at Site 13, said the project demonstrated the value of multinational cooperation in humanitarian response operations.
"The Indonesian military worked very hard and completed a lot of works to rectify the building, and we helped support them once we came on Trident Resolve. From here the site will be used as a medical facility again, which is very crucial for the local community," Lieutenant Andrews-Paul said.
Working alongside partner nations and local personnel, engineers installed electrical infrastructure, completed plumbing repairs and repainted the facility. The project also provided an opportunity for participating nations to share technical expertise and lessons learned from previous exercises and deployments.
The Australian Army's Corporal Jack Miles, of 6th Engineer Support Regiment, said collaboration on site went beyond construction.
"We've been working with the other nations sharing trade and technical knowledge from previous exercises and deployments," Corporal Miles said.
'With the hospital being an hour away, this medical facility will be able to provide for the local community.'
Despite language barriers, personnel found practical ways to work together and solve problems.
"One of the lessons I've learned is dealing with language barriers with members from Indonesia. To fix that, we've used Google Translate and, with common knowledge from construction skills, we've managed to overcome that," Corporal Miles said.
For Corporal Miles, the project highlighted the importance of infrastructure in supporting community resilience following a disaster.
"With the hospital being an hour away, this medical facility will be able to provide for the local community," he said.
The project also fostered strong connections with local residents. School children from the surrounding area regularly visited the site to watch the renovations and interact with the multinational construction teams.
"The school kids have been coming out and waving at us on site, and during our down period we've been talking to them through Google Translate, sharing stories and teaching them things," Corporal Miles said.
Beyond the construction work itself, the project highlighted the value of multinational collaboration in challenging environments where resources, equipment and working methods differ between nations.
"My biggest takeaway has been problem solving with minimal resources, keeping your mind open to see how people think outside the box to get a job complete," Lieutenant Andrews-Paul said.
Exercise Trident Resolve brought together military personnel from across the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus framework, strengthening interoperability and preparedness through practical humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities. The facility was handed back to the community following a small ceremony at the completion of the exercise.
