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INFORMATION PAPER

22 JUL 2016

SUBJECT: (U)MULTINATIONAL PLANNING AUGMENTATION TEAM (MPAT) AND MULTINATIONAL FORCE STANDING OPERATING PROCEDURES (MNF SOP) PROGRAMS

1. (U) Purpose: To provide information on the MPAT and MNF SOP Programs.

2. (U) BLUF: The MPAT Program is acooperative multinational military program established by the Commander of U.S. Pacific Command and the Chiefs of Defense (CHODs) of various nations in the Asia-Pacific region in November 2000, following observations from peace operations in Timor Leste. The CHODs agreed on the need to expand beyond primarily traditional bilateral arrangements in the region to better improve multinational military cooperation. The goal of the programis to facilitate the rapid and effective establishment and/or augmentation of a multinational force headquarters (MNF HQ) and/or other multinational military and civil-military coordination mechanisms.

3. (U)Key Points

  • (U) The MPAT Program has helped develop an international cadre of military planners from nations in or with interests in the Asia-Pacific region and has developed a common set of procedures that providesa baseline of multinational force operational concepts.
  • (U) Currently, there are 31 nations that participate in MPAT activities (Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, France, Fiji, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States, Vanuatu and Vietnam).
  • (U) The objectives of the MPAT Program are:
  • Increased speed of initial crisis response by multinational forces in the Asia-Pacific region;
  • Improved multinational interoperability;
  • Improved overall multinational mission effectiveness; and
  • Unity of Effort
  • (U) MPAT experienced personnel are capable of augmenting a multinational force headquarters established to plan and execute multinational force operations in response to sudden onset crises (military operations other than war and small scale contingencies). These personnel may also function as liaison personnel and may assist in establishment or operation of multinational military and civil-military coordination mechanisms (other than headquarters).
  • (U) During MPAT events, planners learn from each other common procedures for activating, forming, and employing a multinational force headquarters, coordination centers, liaison mechanisms and other associated planning processes. This is done through a series of multinational workshops called MPAT TEMPEST EXPRESS Staff Planning Workshops.
  • (U) The MPAT Program Nations have developed the MNF SOP focused for use in multinational crisis response operations.
  • (U) The MNF SOP recognizes the existence of shared national interests in the region and seeks to standardize some basic concepts and processes that will promote habits of cooperation, increased dialogue, and provide for baseline multinational force operational concepts.
  • (U) The MNF SOP is a voluntary, non-binding set of guidelines for use by MPAT nations in multinational military operations.
  • (U) The MNF SOP has been developed by representatives from the 31 MPAT nations, with active participation and input from civilian regional, governmental, international and non-governmental organizations operating in, or with an interest in, the Asia-Pacific region.
  • Portions of the MNF SOP were used in the OPERATION UNIFIED ASSISTANCE (2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami response), 2008 OPERATION CARING RESPONSE 2008 Cyclone Nargis in Burma) and OPERATION DAMAYAN (2013 response to Typhoon Haiyan). Further, lessons learned from TEMPEST EXPRESS participation helped in the 2010 Haiti earthquake response.
  • (U) The MNF SOP serves as a centerpiece for the MPAT workshops and large multinational exercises aimed at improving interoperability and multinational military readiness within the Asia-Pacific region. The MNF SOP has been developed and refined in a series of MNF SOP Development Workshops; tested in a series of TEMPEST EXPRESS workshops; and validated in various multinational exercises, including BALIKATAN, COBRA GOLD, GEMA BHAKTI, BERSAMA WARRIOR and TALISMAN SABER.
  • (U) The MNF SOP can be found online in the Files Tab of MPAT Portal on the All Partners Access Network (APAN) at:
  • (U) The MPAT conducts twovenues: one (1) biennial Multinational Forces Standing Operating Procedures (MNF SOP) Development Workshops and two (2) biannual MPAT TEMPEST EXPRESS Staff Planning Workshops.
  • (U) There have been 29 TEMPEST EXPRESS workshops since the inception of the MPAT Program. TEMPEST EXPRESS 30, hosted by the Indonesian National Defense Forces will be held in Jakarta, Indonesiasometime in April 2017.
  • (U) There have been 19 MNF SOP Development Workshops since the inception of the MPAT Program. The next MNF SOP Development Workshopwill be held in 2019.
  • (U) Participation also includes representation from United Nations organizations, International and Nongovernmental Organizations (IOs and NGOs), and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
  • (U) The MPAT Secretariat resides with Pacific Command Operations Directorate (J372).
  • (U) Nations seeking support of MPAT experienced personnel have two options:
  • (U) Contact the MPAT Secretariat (email: ) for a list of names of personnel in participating countries
  • (U) Contact participating nations and seek MPAT planner support.

Prepared By: Mr. Scott A. Weidie, J372, (808) 477-8267

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