Do you find value in international joint operations? I do.

I really enjoy Joint Ops but there are always language problems. When the shit hits the fan people revert to their natural language. I was on a Joint Op with a British Mortar Team, Dutch Engineers, Australian SAS, and Gurkah Infantry. Everyone spoke English well enough to understand but some words have different meanings in different counties. That's easy enough to work through but it can be frustrating at times. We also had different ROEs. With the exception of my team and the SAS guys, everyone's ROEs were pretty restricted. Our ROEs were pretty relaxed. That eventually led to my team being on almost every dismounted op instead of QRF. Regardless, when we would get in a TIC the Gurkah's would revert back to their natural language, Nepalese. That is a pretty uncomfortable feeling to hear a bunch of jibberish that you don't understand and your name or call-sign in the middle of it. Do they need me somewhere else? Do they see something/someone near me that I don't? It is very unnerving.

I have never worked alongside foreign service members but we saw them frequently at Keesler and even had some in weather training. I always though it was cool to have them training alongside us. It made our weather school feel a little more prestigious knowing that our little school was the only primary weather training school for not only the various branches of the U.S. Military but foreign militaries as well.

I love it to death. I've been able to work with Thai Marines, Singaporean Commandoes, Germans, Italians, French, Israeli Defense Forces, Omani Soldiers, British and Australian Soldiers. It's great seeing militaries around the world. And humbling sometimes too...