Pacific Partnership Mission News

U.S. and partner nation personnel participating in Pacific Partnership 2018 aboard the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), arrived in Port Kelang, Malaysia, April 16. The Pacific Partnership mission in Malaysia will feature medical exchanges, civil engineering projects, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) preparedness seminars, and community outreach engagements in the greater Kuala Lumpur area. The secondary mission platform for Pacific Partnership, the expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) will arrive in Tawau, Malaysia April 21 for a series of civil engineering, medical and outreach engagements with the local community and Royal Malaysian Armed Forces.

Pacific Partnership 2017 (PP17) and Malaysian partners embarked aboard expeditionary fast transport USNS Fall River (T-EPF 4) arrived in Kuching, Malaysia, Apr. 14. As the second and main mission stop in Malaysia, and the third mission stop overall, activities in Kuching will kick off the large focus on humanitarian aid and disaster response, as well civil engineering projects for Pacific Partnership 2017 Malaysia. According to Lt. j.g. Robin Pepper, the mission's engineering sail-in echelon officer in charge, Kuching is going to be an exciting change of pace for the sail-in team after working only one-on-one with the host nation engineers at their last projects in Sri Lanka.

Pacific Partnership 2017 made its initial mission stop in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, March 7, with the arrival of Military Sealift Command expeditionary fast transport USNS Fall River (T-EPF 4). This marked the first mission to Sri Lanka in the 12-year history of the annual civil-military operation, and the Pacific Partnership mission in Sri Lanka continues through March 18 and will make follow-on mission stops in Malaysia and Vietnam. Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HA/DR) preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, and aims to enhance regional coordination in areas such as medical readiness and preparedness for man-made and natural disasters.

The U.S. Navy is joining allied and partner nation forces for the 12th Pacific Partnership mission, scheduled to begin March 1. This annual maritime operation will help improve disaster response preparedness and capacity, while enhancing partnerships with participating nations throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. This year's mission will be led by the deputy commander and staff from Coastal Riverine Group 1, embarked aboard expeditionary fast transport USNS Fall River (T-EPF 4), and will include more than 200 supporting military and civilian personnel from the U.S., United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.

Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations May 24 in support of Pacific Partnership 2016. Now in its 11th year, Pacific Partnership is a multilateral, disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region. "Partner nations, who invited Pacific Partnership 2016 to visit, refined our mission's focus this year," said Capt. Tom Williams, U.S. Navy, Pacific Partnership 2016 mission commander. Pacific Partnership 2016 will conduct stops in Timor Leste, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Palau, with partners from around the Pacific -- including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Seventy civil service mariners, and approximately 400 Navy, Army and non-governmental organization (NGO) personnel aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 20) returned to San Diego Sept. 14. They steamed more than 20,000 miles - nearly the distance of circling the equator - to Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia as the lead vessel for Pacific Partnership 2012 (PP12), in a nearly five-month humanitarian and civic assistance mission that resulted in medical treatment for nearly 50,000 people.

Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) departed Naval Station San Diego May 3, beginning its part in Pacific Partnership 2012, a four-and-a-half month humanitarian and civic assistance mission to Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia. Mercy is crewed by 70 civil service mariners working for MSC who operate and navigate the ship while Navy planners and medical personnel plan and execute the mission. Mercy was scheduled to depart May 1, but a mechanical problem delayed the ship’s departure for two days.

Commander Pacific Fleet Adm. Robert Willard discussed the Navy’s evolving maritime strategy and the shift of emphasis from the Atlantic to the Pacific Fleet during a breakfast meeting in San Diego on June 21. During the morning address to local military and civilian leaders, Willard discussed the changing approach of the U.S. Navy in regard to its maritime strategy. The strategy is one that strikes a balance between what he called “high-end warfare” and “low-end warfare” that is playing out in the Pacific area of responsibility that includes Iraq, Afghanistan and the southern Philippines. He characterized “high end” by acknowledging the deterrent and dissuasion effect the Navy has with its forward forces in the Pacific…