Team members from UK ISAR attended the Taiwan National Disaster Agency (NDA) Annual Mobilisation and Earthquake Exercise between 17–20 September 2025.
A seven-person team, led by National Coordinator and Team Leader Russ Gauden, participated in the large-scale exercise, which simulated a magnitude 8.5 earthquake and tsunami scenario. The event was designed to test the capabilities of both national and international responders.
UK ISAR worked alongside international teams, including Turkey AKUT, ISAR Germany, South Korea, the Philippines, and Fiji, while also delivering capacity building and sharing UK best and safe practice with the Yulan County team, Taiwan.
UK ISAR Exercise Objectives
The deployment focused on delivering capacity building and best practice for Taiwan’s NDA with the long-term aim of developing a future joint training and response Memorandum of Understanding. It also provided an opportunity to test UK ISAR’s ability to field a small, deployable team that could operate effectively with host nation equipment and integrate seamlessly into local coordination and response structures. Strengthening collaboration across the wider Asia-Pacific region was also a priority, alongside meeting with the FCDO post and High Commission to reinforce international partnerships. Effective communication throughout the exercise was another key goal.
All of these objectives were successfully achieved, resulting in a highly effective and rewarding performance by the deployed team.
Exercise Highlights
The exercise proved to be an important opportunity for UK ISAR to demonstrate its world-class standards across multiple disciplines in line with INSARAG guidelines, reaffirming why the team is recognised as one of the leading USAR response organisations globally. Highlights included meetings with the President of Taiwan, British Representitive in Taipei Ruth Bradley Jones, and the NDA Commissioner, as well as a visit from Sir Ken Knight. Each of these engagements underscored the importance of international cooperation and showcased the strength of the UK’s contribution to global disaster response.
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