U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mike Bridges, the commander of

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mike Bridges, the commander of the Alaska Army National Guard, gives his remarks during the Khaan Quest 2014 Cooperative Health Engagement and Engineering Civic Action Program opening ceremony at the 42nd Elementary School in Songinokhairkhan District, Ulaanbaatar, Tov province, Mongolia. During the Engineering Civic Action Program and Cooperative Health Engagement events, armed forces medical professionals and engineers from participating nations will train and work alongside one another strengthening their military-to-military relations. The medical professionals will provide services to the community such as minor surgery, prenatal, pediatric, neurology and dental care. Thousands are anticipated to take part in during the weeklong engagement. Khaan Quest is hosted annually by the Mongolian Armed Forces and co-sponsored by the U.S. Army Pacific and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific. The exercise is designed to enhance military-to-military relations between the U.S., Mongolia and other armed forces throughout the globe, to improve peacekeeping operations capabilities and to increase interoperability among the participating nations.