Kyrgyz, Mongolian, Pakistani, Tajik, and U.S. forces, as well as observers from Kazakhstan, will conduct the multinational annual Regional Cooperation (RC) 2017 command-post exercise in Dushanbe, Tajikistan from July 10 to 23, 2017, according to the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe.

The exercise will be led by the Republic of Tajikistan’s Ministry of Defense.  The RC 17 is a simulated peacekeeping operation in response to a UN mandate focusing on counter-terrorism, border security, coordination for disaster response, and stability operations.

Each country will contribute service members who will work together to plan combined military operations driven by several potential scenarios. On July 19, press will be invited to observe the command-post exercise in progress at Kokhi Afsaron and interact with participants.

The training provided during RC 17 reportedly promotes cooperation and interoperability, builds functional capacity to address mutual security concerns, and enhances responsiveness between multi-national organizations.  Over the course of this exercise, five nations and more than 200 personnel from the participating countries will participate.  In addition, U.S. and Tajik troops will conduct bilateral field training exercises near Fakhrobod from July 17 to 21.

In efforts to increase regional interoperability, RC 17 provides a forum for addressing relevant regional issues through security cooperation and the exchange of information aimed at enhancing regional coordination and dialogue. This year’s Regional Cooperation exercise will focus on stability operations, border security, border control, counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, and counter-proliferation.

The Regional Cooperation exercise series has been conducted annually since 2001; the last RC exercise was held September 16-28, 2016, in Massachusetts.