Category: Indo-Pacific

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

SYDNEY – Adm. John C. Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, visited Canberra and Sydney, Australia from April 7-10, 2024, where he met with senior government and military leaders and participated in think tank forums, demonstrating the solidarity of the U.S.-Australia Alliance.    

Aquilino met with the Hon. Richard Marles MP, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence; Greg Moriarty, Secretary of the Department of Defence; Amb. Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador to Australia; and Gen. Angus Campbell, Australia Chief of the Defence Force. The discussions focused on enhanced force posture cooperation, increasing interoperability to enhance all-domain cooperation, and expand multilateral exercises across the Indo-Pacific.   

Aquilino also participated in the Australia-U.S. Military Representatives Meeting, which is part of regular cooperation between the two countries on global and regional security and military issues of mutual interest.   

Australia and the U.S. continue to evolve their robust exercise program. This month, U.S. Marines and Sailors traveled to Australia to conduct the 13th annual Marine Rotational Force (MRF) – Darwin 24.3 deployment. The Marine Air Ground Task Force brings approximately 2,000 U.S. Marines and Sailors to Australia’s Northern Territory for a series of exercises and training events alongside the Australian Defence Force.  

While in country, Aquilino presented Campbell with the Legion of Merit, the highest accolade that the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader. It is reserved for individuals who have shown exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services, and Campbell was recognized for his role in expanding cooperation in operations and training, directly contributing to Indo-Pacific regional security. 

Aquilino spoke at the Lowy Institute, an independent, nonpartisan international policy think tank that aims to provide research and distinct perspectives on international trends while highlighting Australia’s impact in shaping conversations globally. 

During the engagement, Aquilino highlighted the strength of partnerships and that each nation should decide their own policies free from coercion.

“Sovereignty of the nations in the region is the critical component of why the rules of law matter,” said Aquilino. “All nations get a choice and what we believe in is freedom for our people, sovereignty for our nations and the ability to have an equal voice as we work toward a peaceful, stable, free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The U.S.-Australia alliance is an anchor for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world. Increased cooperation and military integration have only deepened the strong bilateral relationship through both countries’ shared interest in maintaining freedom of navigation, overflight, and other lawful uses of the sea.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

Scientists, technologists, military members, and Department of Defense civilians attended the first United States Army Pacific Requirements Summit at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, from March 26 to 28, 2024.

The purpose of the Requirements Summit is to create a unity of effort between operational units, the science and technology community, requirements developers, experimentation planners, and the acquisition community to strengthen United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) capabilities and continue to aid in its mission.

USARPAC holds two-thirds of the largest economies, consists of 36 nations, and houses 60% of the world’s people. It covers vast distances and extreme conditions ranging from Arctic tundra to tropical jungles. Due to its extensive reach, the mission is to provide the Joint Forces with decisive integrated land power to consolidate gains across a joint campaign to deter, transition, and respond to natural and manmade crises and prevail conflict in the most consequential region for America’s future.

In an interview with USARPAC’s Director of Concepts and Experimentation, Col. Jonathan Holm, he expressed the importance of the first Requirements Summit.

“What we’re trying to accomplish with this summit is help the intuitional Army develop future capabilities that support our mission in this unique theater. We want to help the Army understand our mission out here, our role in the theater as part of the Joint Force, the threat, and the conditions so that they can design future capabilities for future formations that are optimized for our mission in this theater. Culturally and historically, the Army is more focused on and familiar with theaters that are predominantly land theaters like CENTCOM and EUCOM. USARPAC has been under-resourced and under-prioritized.”

The summits’ working groups consist of USPARPAC’s theater intelligence, theater sustainment, multi-domain fires, and mission command of joint forces.

These top four workhorses come together to clearly articulate their top five capability gaps and find potential solid solutions, with enterprise partners from Army Futures Command (AFC), Combat Capability Development Command (DEVCOM), and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ASA(ALT)). They are also to, validate and refine USARPACS technology focus areas and develop a way ahead for each noted requirement to provide Soldiers throughout the Indo-Pacific with proper equipment to train, deter, and win.

“A lot of army equipment was designed with the Middle East or Europe in mind. Our theater is everything from the artic in Alaska to the jungles in the Philippines and Indonesia. There are large distances that we need to be able to operate across,” stated Col Holm. “Any piece of equipment being a radio or helicopter or drone that was not designed with the needed conditions in mind isn’t going to be able to perform the way our Soldiers need to it. So our ultimate goal is to address that problem”.

The Requirement Summit plans to be an annual occurrence in efforts to strengthen and reshape USARPAC’s capabilities.

“We are trying to focus on solvable problems, I’m looking forward to seeing the fruits of our labor next year, and also learning from the lessons our first summit offered.” Holms.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

CANBERRA, Australia – Adm. John C. Aquilino, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, presented Gen. Angus Campbell, Australia Chief of Defence Force, with the Legion of Merit, Degree of Commander, at the Russell Office complex on April 8.

During his tenure as Australia’s Chief of the Defence Force, Campbell has worked to enhance cooperation, improve posture, and expand the scope and scale of multilateral exercises. Last year, U.S.-Australia-hosted exercise Talisman Sabre brought together more than 30,000 service members from 13 nations, including Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tonga for the first time.  

Campbell’s efforts have been instrumental in increasing the operational momentum and complexity of bilateral cooperation, including his role in evolving key command and control linkages during crisis response operations.  

As long-time friends, military allies, and economic partners, Australia and the U.S. will continue to work together to enhance regional security through increased interoperability and cooperation.  

Established by an Act of Congress on July 20, 1942, the Legion of Merit is the highest accolade that the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader. It is reserved for individuals who have shown exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

The Honourable Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia; the Right Honourable Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom; and the Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense, United States.

Just over a year ago, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States announced the Optimal Pathway to deliver conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) to Australia — the first major initiative of AUKUS. Today, we take stock of the progress our nations have made, both to deliver this capability and to deepen our work on other advanced capabilities.

Our three countries seek to maximize the strategic benefits of the AUKUS partnership to support security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. Australia’s acquisition of a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability is a necessary response to the rapidly evolving strategic environment. Strengthening our trilateral defense capabilities and our industrial capacity will enable AUKUS partners to deter coercion or aggression in the region more effectively.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries remain strongly committed to continued implementation of the ambitious plan set out in the Optimal Pathway for Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. Maintaining steady delivery of this plan will enhance the collective ability of AUKUS partners to promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

All AUKUS nations have reaffirmed their commitment to take full advantage of the technological opportunities of AUKUS by combining national strengths to deepen collaboration and deliver game-changing capabilities at pace. The AUKUS nations have bolstered efforts to break down barriers to collaboration, spur a more integrated defense industrial base and private sector partnership, and identify new opportunities for trilateral capability development.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries endorse the following announcements and initiatives across Pillar I and Pillar II.

PILLAR I – CONVENTIONALLY ARMED, NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINES

Significant, tangible steps to implement the Optimal Pathway have occurred in all three nations in the past year. AUKUS partners remain committed to progressing Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines in a way that sets the highest non-proliferation standards.

Leveraging the power of defense industry

AUKUS partners note the significant milestone for trilateral submarine cooperation provided by the important industry announcements of March 22, 2024, including Australia’s selection of ASC Pty Ltd and BAE Systems to build its SSN-AUKUS submarines, and its selection of ASC as Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine sustainment partner. These strategic partnerships with industry will leverage respective knowledge, skills, and capabilities across AUKUS nations and will form the foundation for Australia’s new nuclear-powered submarine production and maintenance activities.

Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States are making significant investments in their respective submarine industrial bases, which will ensure the supply chains of all three nations are more resilient, integrated, and productive. This will generate economic growth in defense and national security sectors in all three countries. These partnerships will pave the way for further opportunities for industry to expand and strengthen trilateral supply chains, supporting a sovereign sustainment and build capability in Australia.

Establishing Submarine Rotational Force-West

Building on the success of earlier SSN visits to Australia since the Optimal Pathway announcement, AUKUS partners welcomed a visit by USS Annapolis to HMAS Stirling in March 2024. This latest visit is part of a trilateral commitment to more frequent SSN visits to HMAS Stirling under the Optimal Pathway. This, and future such visits from UK and U.S. SSNs, will contribute to building Australia’s capacity to support a rotational presence of UK and U.S. SSNs under Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) from as early as 2027, and Australia’s future sovereign SSN capability.

The most significant maintenance activity to be conducted on an SSN in Australia, to date, is scheduled to occur in the second half of 2024. The maintenance activity, supported by a Submarine Tender, will be critical to building Australia’s ability to safely and securely sustain U.S. SSNs in preparation for the establishment of SRF-West. In anticipation of this forthcoming activity, 37 Royal Australian Navy sailors reported to the USS Emory S. Land in Guam in late January 2024, to begin training and to gain the necessary skills and qualifications. Australian industry personnel will also be involved in supporting this activity to continue to grow the submarine sustainment workforce and supply chain. UK Royal Navy officers will observe the activity to enable integration of UK maintenance requirements for future UK SSN port visits and future UK rotational presence as part of SRF-West. This will be the first time that Australian personnel will actively participate in the maintenance of a U.S. SSN in Australia, enabled by the provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.

Important steps have been taken towards delivering a sovereign conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine training capability for Australia. In December 2023, the United States and Australia finalised a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case to procure submarine training devices to support the establishment of SRF-West. As part of the FMS case, the first contracts were awarded this month by the United States for submarine training simulators. These will be used to train Royal Australian Navy personnel on the Virginia class platform in advance of Australia operating its own sovereign Virginia class SSNs, and supporting visiting and rotational U.S. Virginia class SSNs through SRF-West. The FMS case will also enable the training of Australian Defence and industry personnel in the United States. In March 2024, a cohort of 20 Australian industry personnel completed a successful three-month placement at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

Enabling legislative and policy change

AUKUS partners welcomed the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 by the U.S. Congress in December 2023. This was essential for implementation of the Optimal Pathway, including through the U.S. Congress’ AUKUS Submarine Transfer Authorization Act regarding the sale of Virginia class SSNs to Australia, and enabling critical workforce development activities. A further legislative milestone was achieved through the introduction of nuclear safety legislation – the Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety Bill 2023 and Australian Naval Nuclear Power Safety (Transitional Provisions) Bill 2023 – to the Australian Parliament in November 2023. Once passed by the Australian Parliament, this legislation will establish the nuclear safety framework for Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine enterprise.

Accelerating workforce growth

Progress has been made to implement the education and training initiatives announced by AUKUS Defense Ministers in December 2023, supporting workforce development for Australia’s nuclear-powered submarine enterprise. Australians are undertaking placements in the United Kingdom and United States throughout 2024 to build Australia’s industrial workforce. These placements will be undertaken in accordance with AUKUS partners’ respective obligations and commitments under international and domestic law, including with respect to nuclear non-proliferation. Later this year, ASC employees will commence placements at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard to develop the skills necessary to sustain Virginia class SSNs. They will be the first Australian civilian industry personnel to train in the United States following the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024.

More than 20 Royal Australian Navy sailors and officers are currently in the U.S. Navy Submarine Training system. The first three Royal Australian Navy submarine officers completed the U.S. naval nuclear power training pipeline and are on track to graduate from the Submarine Officer Basic Course in Groton, Connecticut later this month. They will report to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in June to serve on U.S. Virginia class SSNs while completing further qualifications. Over the next 12 months, these numbers will increase to more than 100 Royal Australian Navy personnel in training across the United States, including serving at sea on U.S. Virginia class SSNs. These training opportunities are critical to ensure Australia is ready to operate its sovereign Virginia class SSNs from the early 2030s. In the United Kingdom, three Royal Australian Navy officers have completed initial nuclear power training at HMS Sultan. They will undertake further engineering courses and are on track to graduate from the UK Nuclear Reactor course in July this year, before commencing practical qualification within the Royal Navy Submarine Arm. These officers will be deployed on a UK Astute class SSN.

Australia and the United Kingdom, and Australia and the United States, have signed bilateral Memoranda of Understanding for personnel exchanges to help accelerate growth of Australia’s sovereign workforce.

PILLAR II – ADVANCED CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT

Advancing commitments from December 2023, AUKUS partners highlighted efforts under Pillar II to bolster industry and innovation sector collaboration. Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States are pooling the talents of our defense sectors to catalyze, at an unprecedented pace, the delivery of advanced capabilities. Partners are working with investors, private capital, and traditional and non-traditional industry to translate disruptive technology into asymmetric capability for our three defense forces.

Progress on the AUKUS Defense Ministers’ commitments into the AUKUS Advanced Capabilities endeavour is continuing. Although much of this activity remains classified, AUKUS partners are making strides towards jointly realizing greater maritime awareness through networked autonomy, decision advantage, and enhanced strike.

Private sector financing

AUKUS partners welcomed the first meeting of the Defense Investors Network on February 28, 2024. Pillar II is embracing innovative finance and investment as key enablers for advanced capability development. Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States look forward to engaging with the Defense Investors Network and similarly focused groups on opportunities under Pillar II.

Aligning our systems

AUKUS partners are continuing to update laws and policies to enable effective implementation of AUKUS Pillar II. Partners are working through our respective National Armaments Directors towards better harmonization of our capability development and acquisition systems to support more seamless and agile cooperation. A National Armaments Directors’ tabletop exercise in March tested our respective national processes in three scenarios against co-development, co-production, and co-sustainment.

Securing licence-free defense trade

AUKUS partners are making progress in aligning exports and trade regulations to drive deeper defense trade. Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States are taking significant and tangible steps to meet their commitment to streamline trade among and between the AUKUS partners. In December 2023, the U.S. Congress included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 a pathway to a historic export control exemption to streamline the flow of defense trade for Australia and the United Kingdom. To complement this, on March 27, 2024, Australia passed the Defence Trade Controls Amendment Act 2024 that provides the reciprocal national exemption for the United States and the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is progressing reform to its Open General Export License Program to provide reciprocal exemption for Australia and the United States. These collective mechanisms will enable most defense items to transfer or re-transfer between the three countries without needing further authorization. This environment will set the conditions for unparalleled levels of defense cooperation between AUKUS partners and enable the integration of our industrial bases to accelerate our technological advantage.

Strengthening links across our industrial bases

Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States acknowledged the launch of the AUKUS Advanced Capabilities Industry Forum, which will hold its first meeting on April 9, 2024. The Forum is the key interface between AUKUS governments and industrial bases, via our trade associations. It will focus on trilateral requirements, capability planning, development, and delivery of AUKUS Advanced Capabilities. The Industry Forum provides an opportunity for government and industry representatives to come together to exchange ideas and deepen industrial collaboration on advanced capabilities.

Innovation driven capability

AUKUS partners launched the inaugural Pillar II Innovation Challenge on electronic warfare on March 26, 2024, as a collaborative initiative between respective innovation accelerator units. This will be the first in a series of AUKUS innovation challenges that will identify opportunities to harness commercial technologies from all three nations to support advanced capability development under AUKUS.

Responding to operational demand

Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States welcomed the Land Commanders Statement of Intent to develop a land contribution to AUKUS Pillar II, the AUKUS Army Armaments Cooperation Forum, and the Combined Multi-Domain Task Force. All three countries affirmed their support for Land Commanders to pursue opportunities in Long Range Fires under AUKUS Pillar II in 2024.

Engaging close partners and allies

Since the inception of AUKUS, our nations have been clear in our intent to engage others in Pillar II projects as our work progresses. Over the past two and a half years, we have built a strong, trilateral foundation for delivering advanced military capabilities at speed and scale. AUKUS partners have developed principles and models for additional partner engagement in individual Pillar II projects and will undertake consultations in 2024 with prospective partners regarding areas where they can contribute to, and benefit from, this historic work.

In identifying collaboration opportunities, we will take into account factors such as technological innovation, financing, industrial strengths, ability to adequately protect sensitive data and information, and impact on promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Our objective remains to further the delivery of advanced military capabilities to our respective defense forces in support of regional stability and security; we are confident that engaging like-minded partners in the work of Pillar II will only strengthen this pursuit. Recognizing Japan’s strengths and its close bilateral defense partnerships with all three countries, we are considering cooperation with Japan on AUKUS Pillar II advanced capability projects.

Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States are committed to continued openness and transparency with international partners on AUKUS. We look forward to continuing close collaboration to advance the generational potential of AUKUS. Through the activities of both Pillars, all three countries affirm their commitment to work jointly and together with the region to ensure a stable, peaceful, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, complementing the existing regional architecture.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

GARAPAN, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands  –  

The U.S. Coast Guard officially established Marine Safety Unit (MSU) Saipan in a ceremony in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, on April 5, 2024.

“This significant achievement marks a milestone in leadership evolution and responsibility expansion within the Coast Guard, reflecting our steadfast commitment to serving the people of Saipan and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) with unparalleled dedication and excellence,” said Capt. Nicholas Simmons, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam and the presiding official for the event.

Furthermore, this initiative aligns with the Service’s strategic goal of providing junior officers with increased command opportunities, fostering professional growth and leadership development within the ranks.

Prior to becoming MSU Saipan, Lt. Justin Miller and his team, operating as Marine Safety Detachment Saipan, exemplified their commitment to maritime safety, security, and environmental stewardship through a series of impactful operations and initiatives. Among these, their proactive engagement during a significant maritime activity week, the hosting of innovative industry training days, and the execution of comprehensive safety operations have significantly raised the bar for maritime safety standards in the region.

The establishment of MSU Saipan serves as a foundation for advancing leadership skills and professional development opportunities for Coast Guard personnel while bolstering our mission to ensure the safety, security, and environmental protection of the maritime community in the CNMI. This initiative is a testament to the Coast Guard’s capability to adapt and effectively manage maritime risks in a complex and evolving operational environment.

“I want to extend my deepest gratitude to all participants of the MSU Saipan establishment ceremony, including distinguished CNMI leaders, local and federal agency partners, and the families of our service members,” said Miller, a Tennessee native. “Special recognition is given to USO Guam for their unwavering support of our team and for facilitating a memorable reception event.”

This milestone enhances the Service’s operational capabilities and strengthens the enduring U.S. Coast Guard bond with the CNMI community, underscoring the Service’s collective commitment to maritime excellence and stewardship.

-USCG-

About U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam

The U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam team focuses on maritime safety, security, and stewardship in Oceania. With a primary presence in Guam and Saipan and over 300 members across Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the team maintains a strong U.S. presence in the Micronesia sub-region and adjacent areas, closely tied to local communities.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Adm. John C. Aquilino, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, visited New Zealand April 5-7, 2024, where he met with Air Marshal Kevin Short, New Zealand Defence Force Chief of Defence Force, Rear Adm. David Proctor, Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy, and Amb. Thomas Stewart Udall, U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to New Zealand and to the Independent State of Samoa, along with other senior government and military officials.

The leaders affirmed the partnership between the U.S. and New Zealand. Discussions included their long-standing common interest in regional security and commitment to the rules-based international order.

In a ceremony during the visit, Aquilino presented Short with the Legion of Merit, the highest accolade the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader. Short distinguished himself through his pivotal role in expanding operations, training, programs, and interoperability between the two nations.

In the meeting between Aquilino and Proctor, the two examined security challenges that face the Oceania and Indo-Pacific regions. New Zealand has a mature network of mentors, instructors and technical advisors supporting a pan-regional security cooperation program. Therefore, enhancing bilateral combat effectiveness and compatibility through a strong U.S.-New Zealand partnership.

New Zealand regularly participates in U.S.-led exercises, including the upcoming 2024 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world’s largest international maritime exercise. Aquilino and military leaders discussed the opportunity to expand cooperation and interoperability through the execution of RIMPAC.  

New Zealand and the U.S. stand as key regional partners and each visit, cooperative operation, and military exercise builds the trust and familiarity necessary to continue to provide peace and security to the Indo-Pacific.