CHIANG MAI, Thailand — Jeff Goodman isn’t used to working with people wearing cammies.

As a medical adviser with the International Medical Corps, Goodman has inoculated children and cared for the sick during many of the world’s worst recent disasters, including the South Asia tsunami aftermath.

And while he may not know his TDY from his BDUs, working with Goodman and others like him in the humanitarian-assistance community is key to successful responses during future relief missions, military officials said Thursday at Cobra Gold’s 2005 headquarters.

It’s a shift in traditional thinking for both sides; historically, relief workers have avoided militaries during wars to avoid compromising their impartiality.

“In a conflict zone, you don’t want to be a civilian riding around on a Humvee,” Goodman said.

But during a humanitarian disaster, military logistical assistance allows aid workers to concentrate on helping victims and not worry about their own basic needs, Goodman said.

Advancing the relationship formed with world relief agencies during the aftermath of the Dec. 26 tsunami will determine how efficiently the military accomplishes its mission during the next disaster, said Army Col. Robert Sweeney, Pacific Command director for training, transformation and analysis.

“We each gained a healthy respect and learned a lot about each other,” Sweeney said. “Now that we know the players, we need to train more together.”

Exercises such as Cobra Gold and Balikatan help, Sweeney said.

But there are still gaps to overcome, he added. For example, the military’s method of cataloging supplies was alien to many aid groups. So was its reliance on secure communication.

But both sides adapted.

The relief agencies made requests for assistance through the State Department, which sent approved requests to the military.

This effectively put the relief workers in lead roles, which may have been the toughest adaptation for some servicemembers.

“Down in the trenches … it’s hard to accept the fact that a guy with a ponytail and Birkenstocks is telling you what to do,” Sweeney said.

Educating troops about relief-agency roles can salve that perception, Sweeney said.

Relief agencies can help the military by standardizing their needs assessments, said Sweeney and Navy Cmdr. Scott Weidie, branch chief of the 31-nation Multinational Planning Augmentation Team.

Traditionally, disaster relief has followed these steps: needs assessment, setting requirements, moving supplies, reconstruction and then putting safeguards in place to prevent another catastrophe.

“In the modern world, you have to do all of that simultaneously,” Weidie said.

Standardizing needs and priorities will make military responses faster, he said. For example, one relief team might see patient care as the immediate priority, while another may say it is sanitation or infrastructure, Weidie said.

Weidie and other military and relief officials agreed that each side grew into their joint roles and provided excellent help to the victims. The lessons learned from those roles should be carefully examined, Weidie said.

“Now is the time to look at future crises we haven’t faced yet and address them before they occur,” Weidie said.