Thought this was interesting...
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f...25-1113971.php
Mongolia, U.S. discuss expanding military ties
By Audrey McAvoy
Associated Press
KANEOHE, Hawaii — Mongolia’s president said Monday he hopes to deepen his nation’s military cooperation with Washington, building on the dispatch of Mongolian soldiers to Iraq and the peacekeeping training his troops have received from the United States.
President Nambariin Enkhbayar spoke after meeting the commander of U.S. forces in the Asia-Pacific, Adm. William J. Fallon, on his way home from a U.N. summit in New York.
“We have been discussing how to cooperate to expand and develop the capacity of the Mongolian armed forces and peacekeeping operations,” Enkhbayar said.
He did not go into detail, but he said he and Fallon “found complete understanding” about how the U.S. Pacific Command and the Mongolian military should work together.
Landlocked between China to the south and Russia to the north, Mongolia has actively developed its military ties with the United States in recent years.
Mongolia currently has deployed 120 troops in Iraq guarding Camp Charley, the headquarters of multinational forces led by Poland.
Mongolia also has sent about 50 troops to Afghanistan to help train that country’s new army.
The United States, meanwhile, has been training Mongolia’s officer and enlisted corps. The two countries have held joint exercises to boost their abilities to work side-by-side.
Fallon said he, too, hoped to expand bilateral ties.
“I was honored to host President Enkhbayar and expressed my appreciation to him for the continuing Mongolian deployments to Iraq where their performance and reputation has been superb,” Fallon told The Associated Press.
“We had many good discussions about ways we can work together. I look forward to more military exchanges with Mongolia and to visiting their country.”
After meeting Fallon, Enkhbayar inspected troops at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, including a rifle squad and a robotic bomb deactivator team. He also watched troops doing martial arts exercises.
Linear Mode
