Page 251 - 2020 Defence White Paper

following the disappearance of a Malaysian passenger plane, the ROK Armed Forces
conducted an overseas multinational coalition search operation. Furthermore, in
an effort to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus, the ROK government dispatched
the Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT), consisting of 6 medical officers, 9 nursing
officers, and civilian medical personnel, to Sierra Leone, one of the major West
African countries affected by the outbreak from December 2014 to March 2015.

Akh Unit in the The UAE requested the deployment of the ROK
United Arab Emirates Armed Forces in August 2010 to improve their
education and training standards, and advance their
defense system by benchmarking the ROK Armed Forces’ education and training
system. After obtaining the National Assembly’s consent, the ROK government in
January 2011 deployed the UAE Military Training Cooperation Group, known as the
Akh Unit, to the Al Ain region in response to the request. The 1st contingent had
around 130 troops, and the number increased to 150 starting with the 5th unit. The
Akh Unit was relocated to Sweihan on September 28, 2016, at the UAE General Staff
Department’s request. The UAE government fully covered the construction and Chapter 6
relocation cost of KRW 32 billion.
The Akh Unit provides education and training to the UAE special warfare units,
and conducts combined exercises with the UAE forces while protecting ROK
citizens during contingencies. The ROK Armed Forces is improving UAE forces’
education and training system and contributing to the enhancement of the UAE
forces’ special warfare operations execution capabilities. Meanwhile, the ROK

Armed Forces is also benefiting from the UAE by utilizing the deployment as an
opportunity to improve their special operations capabilities through exercises in
arid and high temperature desert environments that the ROK Armed forces cannot
experience back home as well as realistic exercises utilizing the UAE forces’ cutting
edge facilities and equipment.
In particular, training activities such
as high-altitude and nighttime para-
chuting training, which are limited in
the ROK are carried out actively, and
the ROK Armed Forces also saves on
exercise costs by utilizing the advanced
67)
UAE facilities and equipment, which The name "Akh" means
"brother" in Arabic
are provided free of charge. and intends to express
friendliness toward the
As a symbol of trust and cooperation High Altitude Low Opening of the Akh Unit people of the UAE.

Chapter 6. Developing a Robust ROK–US Alliance that is Mutually Complementary and Promoting Defense Exchanges and Cooperation 249