 Recognizing Thailand's strategic importance in Southeast Asia, the United States has been conducting a long-range program to train units of the Royal Thai Army in counterinsurgency. Aware that there is more to counterinsurgency than just locating the enemy and fighting him, the U.S. Army is advising and assisting the Royal Thai government in training their special forces. These selected Thai soldiers are currently taking part in a program which has been in operation since 1954, when a U.S. Special Forces team assisted in organizing, equipping, and training the Royal Thai Special Forces. Patterned along the lines of the U.S. Army Special Forces and under the capable guidance of their long-time commander, Colonel Tien Chai Sera Sampan, the Royal Thai Special Forces have developed into one of the finest units of its kind in Southeast Asia. Colonel Tien Chai, a graduate of the Royal Thai Military Academy, received much of his training in U.S. military schools, including the command and general staff college. The Colonel's close cooperation with the United States Army has resulted in a free exchange of ideas that have benefited both U.S. and Thai Special Forces. This has involved sending selected Thai soldiers to Okinawa for training by U.S. Army Special Forces. In return, the Thais have helped train U.S. Special Forces in a variety of subjects, including survival techniques and language. The Special Forces soldier must have the strength and motivation to overcome all types of physical hazards. Thus, physical conditioning is emphasized throughout the soldier's career. Royal Thai Special Forces undergo rigorous training in all phases of conventional military activities. At the Ranger and Airborne Training Center in Arawan, the Thai Special Forces soldier is thoroughly trained in airborne techniques. He becomes familiar with the parachute harness and learns how to manipulate his shoe. He practices the correct parachute landing form. The 34-foot tower is used to train potential jumpers in exiting techniques and body positions. Once the soldier progresses beyond this phase of parachute training, he generally has little difficulty in mastering the actual jump. The agile Thai soldier has exhibited a natural talent as a paratrooper. Hand-to-hand combat is a vital part of Thai Special Forces training. The Thais find their own boxing techniques extremely effective when combined with U.S. methods. Special Forces weapons specialists are extensively trained in the use and maintenance of a variety of weapons. These specialists are trained in the employment of weapons found in their own army as well as those of foreign manufacture. Through intensive training, the Thai Special Forces soldier gains confidence in all his weapons. There, as with everything else, he must be able to teach others what he has learned. Communications specialists must rely on continuous-wave radio operation using the International Morse Code. They must be able to receive and transmit at the rate of 18 to 20 words per minute and to maintain their sets in the field. Special Forces demolitions specialists must have a working knowledge of explosives. They learn how to make their own incendiaries and how to make a shaped charge out of a bottle. For several years, Thai Special Forces have been sending selected officers and NCOs to Okinawa to learn advanced techniques and demolitions. The Special Forces medical specialist is perhaps the most highly trained enlisted specialist in the army. In the field, dropped into a remote area and cut off from outside support, he is required to treat wounds, fractures, perform surgery, and treat the countless ills common to this part of the world. All Special Forces soldiers must become experts in living off the land. They learn which plants are poisonous and which are edible. They are taught how to get their food by using various traps, such as a fowl snare, a small walking animal snare, or a squirrel trap. They learn how to handle dangerous snakes. And they are introduced to delicacies such as this viper stick. Recognizing the importance of small patrols in jungle warfare, Thai Special Forces concentrate on small unit tactical training. Finding and destroying the enemy is only one element of the fight against insurgency. In addition, Special Forces training includes the all important area of civic action, helping the people to help themselves. Skilled in the many facets of counterinsurgency, the Royal Thai Special Forces today are a significant factor in helping to maintain the security of a nation whose stability will help determine the course of history in Southeast Asia. Dusting down your sleeves and wearing gloves an increase in mop is not required. Three, with your protective mask on, dust off your uniform after you dismount the vehicle. You may unmask after dusting off. Four, always observe standard field hygiene procedures including washing your hands and face. These simple precautions will help protect you from inhaling or ingesting DU and other contaminants, transferring contamination from hand to mouth, or getting contaminants in cuts and abrasions. You may notice that some personnel wear additional protective equipment. This is because they spend a significant amount of their working day in destroyed or damaged vehicles that may contain DU contamination as well as burned plastics, POL products, and tungsten contamination. These personnel include battle damage assessment and repair teams, and maintenance and recovery personnel. They are issued equipment such as respirators and coveralls to be used for daily work inside destroyed or damaged vehicles. A fourth situation in which DU could present a hazard is if you find penetrators or parts of penetrators because spent tungsten and DU penetrators can appear very similar. Assume all penetrators you find are made from DU. You can determine when armor has been breached by a DU penetrator by using an AN-VDR-2 or an AN-PDR-77 radiac meter. These meters can also be used to determine whether a spent penetrator on the battlefield is DU. As with all battlefield debris, do not pick up penetrators or pieces of penetrators that you find on the battlefield. Notify your chain of command so they can coordinate a response. A final situation in which DU could present a hazard is if you are near, within 50 meters of, actively burning fires involving DU. If met TC permits, stay at least 50 meters from actively burning fires involving DU. Assume all armored combat vehicles and ammunition supply vehicles contain DU munitions. Never delay first aid or combat rescue because of DU. Conduct rescue and administer first aid in accordance with the soldier's manual of common tasks. The presence of DU on a wounded soldier poses no threat to those administering first aid. Notify your chain of command that the person could have injuries involving DU because additional medical tests could be required. Brief entries into DU-contaminated crew compartments will not expose you to unsafe intakes of DU. It is important to note that DU and nuclear, biological or chemical NBC hazards are completely different and require very different responses. If you are operating in an NBC environment, you must respond to the NBC hazard, a threat many times more serious than the low risk from DU. The protective measures taken in a depleted uranium environment will not protect you in an NBC environment. Depleted uranium superiority in munitions and armor has secured its place on the battlefield, while unfired DU munitions and intact armor do not pose a health hazard, the potential exists for incidents or accidents involving DU. Accordingly, U.S. forces must have the training and preparation required to operate safely and effectively in the presence of battlefield DU contamination.