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Lt. Col. Seung Ryu, the 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade Officer in Charge of the functional specialty team during Croix du Sud, attended the tour with his team and spoke on how it helped the crisis response team better understand the capabilities of the Air Force and would improve the team's ability to better prepare in the event of a real world crisis: "Today was a great opportunity to get outside of the headquarters and enjoy the weather a little bit and get to see some more parts of New Caledonia, specifically this air base [Tontouta Air Force Base] and learn about its history and capabilities that the air base provides and the Caledonia Air Force and military agencies provide regarding humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions," he said. The ability to work in functional specialties is a unique U.S. Army career path that is only offered through the civil affairs military occupational specialty. It allows the citizen soldiers of the 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade to share their expertise to support operations for the U.S. Army Reserves in the Indopacific, acting as partners between military and civilian personnel to ensure U.S. interests are represented and defended when interacting with foreign nations. "We're here as experts in our individual fields to provide assistance as needed," explained Maj. Naomi Lee who is also a member of the 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade functional team. Lee earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Rochester in New York and has worked as a biochemistry professor for the last seven years at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. She provides advice about how to set up biomedical facilities like laboratories for research and development to prevent epidemics and other health related issues. The tour began with a presentation about base capabilities including using it as an air bridge to provide flights between Wallis and Futuna and for air life support. It also functions as a logistics hub moving supplies and equipment throughout the region. The increased capacity of the base was also shared, including the greater frequency of flights by the European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft, the A400M and the new all weather helicopter H225 helicopter going into use on base. Aircraft that can handle extreme weather conditions are useful in New Caledonia because navigation can quickly become challenging to navigate during search and rescue missions like in low light situations or when traveling through part of the island that doesn't have radar, explained a transport pilot from the 52nd Transport Squadron of Caledonian Air Force after showing the group a Puma helicopter. After viewing a CASA helicopter, an A400M transport plane, and the New Caledonia Airmen living areas, the visit ended with a moment of remembrance at a World War II memorial at Tontouta Air Base, honoring the men and women from the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy stationed there from February 1942 to December 1945. Ryu reflected on his visit to the monument and what it meant for him and his team: "It was an honor to see the appreciation that NC [New Caledonia] had for our predecessors' service in the form of this memorial. It's a testament to their actions and the continuing partnership between the U.S. and its allies in this region. There's a shared history here, so it was humbling to see the memorial." Three members from the Pacific Response Group - Pacific Special Advisory team also attended the tour. This is a multinational unit which was formed in November 2024 with its force concentrated in Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane, Australia. The unit is a multinational unit, part of the South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting (SPDMM) initiative, with the purpose of coordinating military effort in support of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR). It enhances interoperability between the six member nations which include Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the French Army in New Caledonia (FANC), Tonga, and Papua New Guinea. Annalise Wrzeczycki, Assistant Director of the Humanitarian Section at the Department of Foreign and Affairs and Trade for Australia also attended the tour alongside one member of the Australian Air Force and three other civilian Australian government officials. Wrzeczycki shared how critical multinational cooperation is for disaster preparedness. "It's highly valuable for us to exercise together and increase our preparedness in all crises responses, specifically to humanitarian responses required in the region." Lee agreed that the sharing of information between nations during this tour and throughout the whole exercise is critical for herself and the functional specialist team. "So many of us come here ready to absorb all the knowledge," said Lee. "We have so many experts from different countries and the different organizations that are being represented here and they're teaching us so many things that maybe we can bring back to our current unit." The functional specialist team has individuals with a wide variety to expertise to accomplish the mission in New Caledonia and around the world including a customs and border agent offering expertise on public security, and public safety, a lawyer with expertise in international law, a veterinarian who offers medical care to animals after a natural disaster or helps with population control of strays, and a lead medic and licensed doctor who coordinate medical actions after a disaster and help improve medical services in partner countries. Before members of the tour departed the air base, they were given a key chain with the name of the base in French along with an image of a map of New Caledonia and the French flag. One side also had the words, "qui ose gagne," which translates into English as, "Those who dare, win." This year, Croix du Sud keeps that tradition of winning alive. Croix-du-Sud is the 11th iteration of a 14-day biennial joint/multilateral field training exercise organized and led by the FANC, focusing on disaster relief, crisis events, and enhancing partnership and interoperability between the United States and the militaries of Oceania countries with approximately 2000 participants and using 13 aircraft and 5 ships from 18 countries. In addition to the U.S. military and France, the other participating countries include Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, the United Kingdom, Vanuatu, Chile, Columbia, Germany, Japan, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Peru, Singapore, Belgium, and the Philippines.