CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Better communication across cultures and commands will improve response time when the next major humanitarian disaster hits, top officials and relief workers said Wednesday at Cobra Gold 2005’s headquarters.

As officers from the United States, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and other nations continue discussing lessons learned from the Dec. 26 tsunami at a relief workshop this week, building “unofficial” professional relationships has become one of its most common themes.

“Asians, in general, have to feel as if they have a personal relationship with you before they can do a lot of heavy work,” said John Cole, a retired Army colonel and regional manager for Asia-Pacific Area Network, a Defense Department contractor.

Cole arrived at Utapao Naval Base in Thailand days after the Dec. 26 tsunami, with Pacific command personnel attached to what was Combined Support Force 536.

Conferences like Cobra Gold help build those relationships, but such contacts must be maintained constantly to prevent clashes when multinational forces provide disaster relief, Cole said.

Those relationships also can pay dividends because of the cultural feedback commanders can relay to servicemembers. For example, knowing religious taboos preserves good will and prevents disorder on the ground, said Navy Cmdr. Scott Weidie, prime architect of the tsunami workshop agenda.

Weidie, who spent about 40 days in Thailand during the relief effort, also is branch chief of the 31-nation Multinational Planning Augmentation Team. The group trains mostly Asian-based military officers on how to respond to crises. He said MPAT also forges back-channel relationships that can cut red tape, quickening decisions and saving lives.

Weidie also emphasized working with relief agencies; they “provide the local expertise” that can facilitate the military’s logistical role, he said.

But even amid efforts to bring multinational relief groups closer to the military fold, some are looking for a faster way to get critical information during a disaster. “We keep informed of blow-by-blow events through normal diplomatic channels … this cannot continue,” said Puji Pijiono, ASEAN’s disaster management committee chairman.

Others weighed the importance of interpersonal communication.

The military should place more emphasis on language skills training, Cole said. “Language is the key to a culture,” he said.

“I’m not trying to make everybody an anthropologist; I’m trying to make them more comfortable with the culture they’re dealing with.”

Others recognized the need for creative approaches when communicating with victims in a devastated infrastructure lacking newspapers and broadcasts.

During food drops, for instance, victims eager for relief supplies sometimes rushed helicopters before propellers had been turned off.

The combined information bureau and civil affairs workers began organizing leaflet drops, asking victims to keep a distance until relief helicopters shut down.

“We saw an immediate difference the next time there was a helicopter lift bringing in supplies,” said Navy Cmdr. Mike Brown.