Category: Indo-Pacific

Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign

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Army CID Expands its Jurisdiction in Cobra Gold 2024, Major Exercise in Pacific Region

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

RAYONG PROVINCE, Thailand  –  

Supervisory Special Agent Erin Chow, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation, Far East Field Office became the first Army CID special agent to participate in the multinational Indo-Pacific military exercise Cobra Gold, held annually in Southeast Asia. This year’s exercise took place February 27 to March 8, 2024.

Cobra Gold, established in 1982 and originally a bilateral exercise between the Kingdom of Thailand and the United States, has since expanded and now includes the countries of Japan, The Republic of Korea, the Republic of Singapore, the Republic of Indonesia, and Malaysia. In its 43rd iteration, Cobra Gold is the longest running multinational military exercise in the world. The 2024 exercise involved 9,000 service members, including 4,500 from the United States, with a total of 30 nations participating, either actively or as observers.

“This exercise is a decades-long example of the enduring partnerships that bind our nations together,” Lt. Gen Xavier Brunson, the commanding general of U.S. I Corps and senior mission commanding general for the exercise, said during the opening ceremony. “As we train and learn from one another, we symbolize the strength that comes from unity, shared goals, and commitment to regional stability.”

Later in the exercise, Lt. Gen. Brunson personally expressed his appreciation to Special Agent Chow for her assistance and support for Cobra Gold 2024.

Representing Army CID, Special Agent Chow was able to coordinate with the Royal Thai Military, Royal Thai Police, U.S. Embassy in Thailand, and I Corps headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. Special Agent Chow established herself as the point of contact for all on-ground U.S. Army law enforcement matters with a Department of Defense nexus and a U.S. Army interest.

Along with establishing herself as the point of contact for U.S. Army law enforcement matters, she also facilitated coordination between the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand and Lt. Gen. Brunson’s security team via the U.S. Embassy Regional Security Office and the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service to assist in protection during the opening ceremony.

“The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is continuously seeking ways to provide professional criminal investigative support to the Army,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Michael DeFamio of the Army CID Far East Field Office, home-based at Camp Humphreys South Korea  “Our presence in the Far East and participation in Cobra Gold illustrates Army CID’s commitment to maximizing our jurisdiction and being there for the Army, whenever we are needed.,”

Special Agent Chow was grateful for the opportunity to be present during the exercise and especially appreciative of the assistance and mentoring from Michael Young of the DoD Force Protection Detachment Team at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. “Without his help and support, my mission would not have been possible,” she said.

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U.S. Army Engineers Complete Wet Gap Crossing with the ROK Army

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea  –  

The 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, 2nd Infantry-ROK/U.S. Combined Division joins forces with the ROK army 5th Engineer Brigade to participate in a combined wet gap crossing training exercises as part of the annual combined training held near the Imjin River in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do from March 11-20, 2024.

“Today the 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry-ROK/U.S. Combined Division successfully completed a wet gap crossing together with the ROK 129th Engineer Battalion. This is the culmination of over a week of training and progression involving hundreds of U.S. and ROK Soldiers,” explained Lt. Col Brent Kinney, 11th Engineer Battalion commander. “What we demonstrated here today is a testament to the strength of our alliance and capabilities as a combined team. The ability to identify, seize, and cross challenging terrain ensures we can maintain forward momentum on the battlefield.”

ROK and U.S. Army units utilized aviation, armor, air defense, chemical, biological and defense capabilities to train the security and protection of the site during the exercise that was designed to verify interoperability through the construction of a joint pontoon bridge.

Approximately 200 Korean soldiers, 270 U.S. Soldiers, 65 pieces of ROK-US engineering equipment such as Ribbon Pontoon Bridges (RBS), Improved Ribbon Bridges (IRB) and CH-47 Chinooks were deployed to provide engineering support necessary for joint operations.

CH-47 Chinooks carried out air transport of bridging assets. This capability to provide air transport of crossing materials can be used to construct gap crossings in times of conflict when land movement is impossible due to road damage or normal bridge launching restrictions.

“With the idea that operations are training and training is operations, it was a good opportunity to maximize the interoperability of ROK-U.S. crossing equipment and improve combined operation performance capabilities,” said Major Kim Jin-woo, commander of the 5th Engineer Brigade Doha Company.

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Inaugural LAMAT mission begins in St. Kitts & Nevis

Source: United States SOUTHERN COMMAND

Forty-three U.S. Air Force active duty and reserve Airmen traveled to St. Kitts and Nevis in support of this year’s Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team mission, where they will be working alongside host nation counterparts to foster mutual collaboration and training, and provide the best possible care for patients.

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General Says Crisis in Haiti Requires International Response

Source: United States SOUTHERN COMMAND

The crisis in Haiti requires an international solution that also includes the Haitian perspective, said Army Gen. Laura Richardson, commander of U.S. Southern Command. 

Southcom has a wide range of contingency plans and is prepared for a possible mass migration from Haiti or elsewhere, she said today at an Atlantic Council event. 

“We want to be able to do what’s right and humane and be able to take care of the populations that are trying to escape the crisis,” Richardson said. 

As of now, the U.S. doesn’t have plans to send troops into Haiti, she said. The State Department is working with other governments in the region and internationally, as well as with nongovernmental organizations, to provide solutions. 

Richardson said there’s a lot of international support for Guyana, as neighboring Venezuela disputes their common border. “We continue to watch the situation very, very closely,” she said. 

When asked about a Chinese space facility in Argentina, Richardson said the U.S. continues its close collaboration with Argentine government. “That is for Argentina to decide on how that facility will remain, if it remains there, and what the way ahead for it is.” 

Regarding China’s strategy for the region, Richardson said Beijing is eager to import minerals and food from various nations. China’s trade within Southcom’s area of responsibility has gone from about $12 billion to about $300 billion over the last 20 years and is expected to double by 2035. 

She said China has also provided loans to nations in the region with strings attached. The U.S. doesn’t do business with strings attached “because we’re a like-minded democracy. We would like this region to remain free, secure and prosperous,” Richardson said. 

Equipment Swap 

Nine nations in the region have Russian military equipment, she said. The U.S. is offering to swap out that equipment for use in Ukraine and will backfill it with U.S. equipment, which is much better than Russian-made equipment. 

Richardson said she’s enthused that women’s peace and security efforts in the region are making progress. Women are being integrated into the military, thereby increasing readiness of nations. 

The general said she looks forward to continuing to engage with partners in the region to cut down on illegal fishing, mining and logging and the trafficking of people, drugs and counterfeit goods, as well as other criminal activities. 

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Statement from Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the Upcoming Trilateral Leaders’ Summit of the Philippines, Japan, and the United States

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

President Biden will host President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan on April 11 at the White House for the first trilateral U.S.-Japan-Philippines leaders’ summit.  At the summit, the leaders will advance a trilateral partnership built on deep historical ties of friendship, robust and growing economic relations, a proud and resolute commitment to shared democratic values, and a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. The leaders will also reaffirm the ironclad alliances between the United States and the Philippines, and the United States and Japan. At the summit, the three leaders will discuss trilateral cooperation to promote inclusive economic growth and emerging technologies, advance clean energy supply chains and climate cooperation, and further peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the world.

In addition, President Biden will host President Marcos for a meeting at the White House on April 11to review the historic momentum in U.S.-Philippines relations and discuss efforts to expand cooperation on economic security, clean energy, people-to-people ties, and human rights and democracy. The President will reaffirm the ironclad alliance between the United States and the Philippines and emphasize U.S. commitment to upholding international law and promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific.

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Lightning from the South Korean Sky: 5th ANGLICO at Warrior Shield 24

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

SOUTH KOREA  –  

To strengthen crisis response in the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. Marines with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, and the Republic of Korea Marine Corps conducted exercise Warrior Shield 24, which includes the Korean Marine Exchange Program, rehearsing close air support combat scenarios using the deployed virtual training environment at Osan Air Base, South Korea.

Joint Terminal Attack Controllers and forward air controller officers from 5th ANGLICO and the ROK Marine Corps came together multiple times throughout the year to exchange tactics, techniques, and procedures, mastering their combined skills in calling in air strikes.

To comprehend and meet the demands of the future operational environment, the team familiarized themselves with complex missions in distributed maritime and urban environments and locating enemy targets using advanced capabilities. ROK and U.S. Marines role-play real-world scenarios to facilitate live-fire CAS.

The ROK and U.S. Marines successfully navigated existing language barriers. U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Sung M. Shin, joint fires and effects integrator with 5th ANGLICO, shifts from speaking in English to Korean with ease. ROK Marine Gunnery Sgt. Jiwo Kang conducted a 9-line CAS brief in English during one control. The close integration of tactical forces and conduct of complex training highlighted the strength and flexibility of the ROK and U.S. relationship.

“I’m doing my job as an interpreter and JTAC. This is my fourth time participating in this exercise with 5th ANGLICO. It is pretty awesome working with them,” explains Kang. “It is a great opportunity to enhance JTAC skills and strengthen our alliances. I’m learning a lot of things from 5th ANGLICO like how to conduct CAS more effectively, and how to avoid collateral damage.”

Following a week of simulations, the team relocated to Pilsung Range to conduct a live-fire bilateral Tactical Air Control Party event with joint fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. Live ordnance fired at targets close to friendly troops makes close air support one of the most delicate combat roles of military aviation and artillery.

Under modern battlefield realities, the team also practiced their ability to remain undetected and avoid being located, targeted, and ultimately killed by a potential adversary. Employing long-range fires, the ROK and U.S. Marines were enabled to deploy distributed, low-signature, lethal, networked, persistent, and joint expeditionary capabilities that can dominate throughout the littorals.

“Live-fire close air support training is essential to enhance forward observers and JTACs’ capacities to coordinate, execute, and deconflict fires, increasing lethality,” says Capt. Brandon B. Dontogan, a field artillery officer and team lead. “Adding in joint and bilateral training pushes this concept even further with us coordinating with different branches and partner nations to execute attacks and strike targets as one team. The frequency and depth of our training underscores a shared commitment to regional security.”

The ROK-U.S. alliance has been the foundation of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula for over 70 years. The combined training ensured the ROK and U.S. Marines are tactically and technically proficient, and able to respond decisively to aggression across the Peninsula.

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America Amphibious Ready Group Completes Exercise Iron Fist

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

Sailors assigned to the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), and Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, celebrated the completion of the 18th iteration of Exercise Iron Fist, alongside members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), in a ceremony held on the flight deck of the JMSDF Ōsumi -class tank landing ship JS Kunisaki (LST-4003), March 17.

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Air Force medical team benchmarks first LAMAT mission to St. Vincent

Source: United States SOUTHERN COMMAND

KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent and the Grenadines  –  

Under the direction of U.S. Southern Command, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) successfully pioneered its first Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team mission to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, March 4–12.

The team of 34 active duty and reserve Airmen traveled to St. Vincent to work closely with their host nation medical counterparts in an effort to hone skills through mutual training and education while ultimately benefiting patient care.

“We came here with the mission of providing needed medical care for the communities of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” said Lt. Col. Jessica Arcilla, troop commander. “But we have achieved more than that in the short time that we’ve spent here on the island working side-by-side with this country’s experienced providers.”

Throughout the 10-day mission, the team treated over 500 patients, providing services that amounted to approximately $800,000 in free medical care. LAMAT members also disseminated needed medical supplies amounting to $186,000 to local healthcare facilities.

“Words are not enough to express gratitude to you for the resources you have brought with you and which will remain with us in our healthcare system,” said Cuthbert Knights, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment. 

“We are a very resilient country, a very resilient population, but that resilience requires that we acknowledge that we can’t do this alone,” said Dr. Simone Keizer Beache, chief medical officer to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. “The Ministry of Health’s motto is, ‘your health is a shared responsibility,’ and this is how we work.”

LAMAT not only seeks to strengthen cooperation between the U.S. and its partner nations, it capitalizes upon the unique local environment, serving as a readiness mission to better prepare Air Force personnel for deployments to austere environments.  

“You taught us how to be inventive, resourceful, creative and better problem solvers,” said Arcilla during the mission’s closing ceremony. “Thanks to what our counterparts in St. Vincent have taught us, we have become better doctors, nurses, medics, technicians, dentists, logisticians and administrators.”

Notably, the LAMAT orthopedic team performed St. Vincent’s first-ever knee arthroscopy surgery. The procedure is used for diagnosing and treating joint problems by inserting a small camera that allows a surgeon to see inside the joint without making a large incision.

“This mission is not just a testament to our shared commitment to health and wellbeing, but also to the enduring partnership between the United States and St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” stated U.S Coast Guard Cmdr. Jamie Collins, U.S. Embassy in Barbados senior defense official. “Let us look forward to a future filled with promise and possibility, where the bonds between our countries grow ever stronger.”

The LAMAT 2024 mission has impacted over 2,200 patients across three locations, including Suriname, St. Lucia and St. Vincent, with additional medical teams set to support St. Kitts and Nevis this coming week and progressing until the end of March.

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LAMAT medical assistance mission ends in St. Lucia successfully

Source: United States SOUTHERN COMMAND

CASTRIES, St. Lucia  –  

After two weeks of high-volume patient care, alongside local medical personnel, the Lesser Antilles Medical Assistance Team mission concluded in St. Lucia, March 8, 2024.

This mission brought 17 Air Force, surgeons, nurses, and technicians to St. Lucia, where they participated in health engagements and developed strong relationships with medical counterparts.

The LAMAT team marked several success stories along the way, performing 50 surgeries while exchanging valuable information and knowledge with host nation medical personnel. This effort enabled local facilities to build greater vascular surgery capacity for patients. Additionally, the team was able to build valuable relationships with their counterparts in St. Lucia.

“This mission was heavenly because of the camaraderie, networking, and above all, the use of the knowledge at the appropriate time…the wisdom that was transferred was immeasurable,” said Dr. Jason Tobierre, OKEU general surgeon. “The long-term impact is going to help a lot of people, not just from this island but from other islands as well.”

U.S. Air Force active duty and reservist Airmen worked alongside 32 St. Lucian medical personnel to train with each other and build positive relationships during their short but impactful time together.

“As the 17 LAMAT members prepare to leave, we can say with confidence that this mission has indeed sealed our special friendship with the United States military, founded on the principles of knowledge exchange, humanitarian effort, and commitment to partnership,” said Dr. Lisa Charles, OKEU director of clinical services.

The troop commander of the St. Lucia LAMAT team expressed that this mission was the best moment of his career.

“I can unequivocally say these past two weeks have been the pinnacle of my military and professional career,” said Lt. Col. Devin Watson, LAMAT troop commander. “This experience has been a journey of immense personal growth, as each day presented new challenges, new triumphs, and new relationships that have left an indelible mark on my soul.”

Mission planners included scrub nurses, post-anesthesia care unit nurses, biomedical engineering technicians, and other specialties as part of the LAMAT team in St. Lucia to ensure a broad scope of knowledge exchange.

“I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to counterparts here in St. Lucia for trusting us with your patients’ care, for treating us with such respect as colleagues and teammates, for showing us the pride, beauty, and joy found in this great country, and for reaffirming the ‘why’ many of us went into medicine in the first place,” said Watson.

“While extremely grateful for the over 220,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars of donated supplies, the truth is that this United States humanitarian effort would have been impossible without the expertise of the men and women who traveled here with the singular purpose of working alongside us to serve those in need,” said Charles.

LAMAT 2024 incorporated missions in addition to St. Lucia, including recently concluded missions in Suriname and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Additional medical assistance team members traveled to St. Kitts and Nevis as the final stop for the LAMAT mission through the end of March.

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USINDOPACOM Statement on DPRK Missile Launches

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

We are aware of the DPRK’s March 17 ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. We have assessed these events did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory. The United States condemns these launches and calls on the DPRK to refrain from any further destabilizing acts.