Category: US Indo Pacific Command

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

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Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

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Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

Military Sealift Command will support the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 maritime exercise though out the month of July in Hawaii.

MSC fleet replenishment oilers USNS Pecos (T-AO 197) and the MSC dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) will provide logistics services including aviation fuel, diesel ship fuel, dry, fresh and frozen food equipment and supplies to the ships participating in the exercise.

MSC chartered tanker ships MT Overseas Mykonos and MT Allied Pacific will provide fuel to the MSC combat logistics ships during replenishment-at-sea events. With the closing of the Navy’s The Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility, the tanker replenishment events will allow the CLF ships to receive fuel at sea, enabling them to provide logistic services to exercise participants as needed, without delay.

MSC rescue and salvage ship USNS Grasp (T-ARS 51) will deliver two decommissioned Navy ships to the designated target area in preparation for sinking exercises (SINKEX); amphibious transport dock Ex-Dubuque (LPD 8) and amphibious assault ship Ex-Tarawa (LHA 1).

Five members of Military Sealift Command Pacific’s (MSCPAC) Headquarters Unit are serving as watch standers, providing maritime logistics support to Commander, Task Group 173. These reservists, alongside will providing comprehensive planning and coordination for each replenishment-at-sea conducted during the exercise, including arranging and coordinating rendezvous locations and times for MSCs CLF ships and MSC chartered tankers. In addition, the Reservists will coordinate towing operations Grasp.

At sea, 24 members of MSC Cargo Afloat Rig Team (CART) will support at-sea logistics operations in support of the exercise, training and working hand-in-hand with the civil service mariner crews in order to meet the huge underway replenishment demands of keeping the ships of the 29 participating nations supplied and moving.

“MSC and our crews of highly professional civilian mariners are proud to be a part of RIMPAC 2024,” said Leonard Bell, Deputy to the Commodore, Military Sealift Command Pacific. “This is a great opportunity for us to not only demonstrate our logistics capabilities, but to work and learn from our foreign Navy partners in an at-sea environment. In today’s challenging environments, exercises such as RIMPAC allow us to foster goodwill and relationships with like-minded partners, ensuring safe seas for military and commercial sailing.”

​Hosted biennially by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT), and executed by Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet (C3F), RIMPAC is a multinational maritime exercise that takes place in and around the Hawaiian Islands. This year marks the 29th iteration of RIMPAC, a series that began in 1971 and is scheduled to take place from June 26 to August 2. Approximately 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel are scheduled to participate. This year’s exercise will include units or personnel from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States. RIMPAC is a unique training opportunity designed to foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, hosted more than 70 senior joint-force leaders for two days of engagements focused on the new Indo-Pacific strategy, capabilities, and force posture at Headquarters, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, July 1-2, 2024.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska  –  

Arctic Defender, a German Air Forces-led exercise, is scheduled to begin July 8 with primary flight operations over the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex and is scheduled to run through July 18.

As part of a monthslong exercise tour in the Indo-Pacific, known as Pacific Skies 24, Arctic Defender is the first stop for the trinational Future Combat Air System of Germany, France and Spain, and is a field training exercise for U.S. and international forces flown under simulated air combat conditions.

“With Pacific Skies 24, we as Europeans show our face in a part of the world that is so important to all of us. Together with Spain and France, we are deploying to the Indo-Pacific region and taking part in five different exercises,” said Lt. Gen. Ingo Gerhartz, German Air Force service chief.

Approximately 500 multilateral service members are expected to fly, maintain and support more than 60 aircraft from 12 units scheduled to participate, enabling them to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures while improving interoperability with American Airmen from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base, and U.S. Marines with Headquarters, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 232 (Reinforced), MAG-11, both at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.

​Arctic Defender training spans from individual skills to complex, large-scale joint engagements in the more than 77,000 square miles of airspace in the JPARC, which is the largest combat training range in the world.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

CAMP COURTNEY, OKINAWA, Japan  –  

III Marine Expeditionary Force received a shipment of Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACVs) at Naha Military Port on June 29, 2024. The ACV is an eight-wheeled armored personnel carrier, designed to fully upgrade the Marine Corps’ fleet of Assault Amphibious Vehicles (AAV).

“III Marine Expeditionary Force is a modern, ready force,” said U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Roger B. Turner, III MEF commanding general. “Upgrading our fleet with amphibious combat vehicles capable of supporting sea denial and maritime operations will further bolster our ability to support deterrence efforts and respond to contingencies in the Indo-Pacific.”

The ACVs will be transported to Camp Schwab over the next several days. The ACV’s ability to use the ocean and waterways to carry Marines and equipment make it well-suited for a variety of operating environments. The arrival of the ACV realizes a long-projected update to the current armed ship-to-shore connection and ground combat capabilities of the AAV. III MEF will continue to manage the ACV fielding responsibly and safely as Marines train and evolve to respond to potential crises.

Official imagery from this event will be published at https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/3MD.

​For more information on this event, please contact the 3D Marine Division Communication Strategy and Operations at 3div_commstrat@usmc.mil.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

LUZON, Philippines  –  

U.S. Marines with 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, concluded Marine Aviation Support Activity 24, the third of three Philippine-led bilateral exercises with 3rd MLR participation spanning the past three months, on Luzon, Philippines, June 21, 2024. The U.S. Marines’ return to their home station on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, marks the end of 3rd MLR’s longest rotational deployment of forces to the Philippines since the unit’s redesignation in 2022.

The U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific summer exercise series included Exercise Balikatan 24, Archipelagic Coastal Defense Continuum, and MASA 24, and consisted of bilateral exchanges and training opportunities between U.S. and Philippine Marines aimed at bolstering the PMC’s Coastal Defense strategy while supporting the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization efforts.

BK24, an annual bilateral exercise designed to strengthen capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences, is internationally recognized for its emphasis on “shoulder-to-shoulder” training between all branches of the U.S. and Philippine militaries. The 39th iteration of BK was followed by the first iteration of ACDC 24, a series of USMC and PMC bilateral training and subject matter expert exchanges across the seven warfighting functions of command-and-control, fires, force protection, information, intelligence, logistics, and maneuver. Upon the conclusion of ACDC, the Marines transitioned to MASA 24, a PMC-led exercise designed to enhance capabilities, interoperability, and coordination focusing on aviation-supported operations.

During the 75-day deployment, the Marines and Sailors with 3rd MLR and its three subordinate units – 3rd Littoral Combat Team, 3rd Littoral Logistics Battalion, and 3rd Littoral Anti-Air Battalion – spanned out across nine disparate training areas to conduct five Combined Joint All-Domain Operations events alongside their AFP and PMC counterparts. The CJADO events included the BK24 Maritime Key Terrain Security Operation on Batan, Itbayat, and Mavulis; the BK24 Counter-landing Live Fire at the La Paz Sand Dunes; Littoral Zone Reconnaissance Cobra at IDESS Maritime Center, Camp Cape Bojeador, and Naval Base Camilo Osias; the MASA 24 MKTSO on Batan; and the MASA 24 Littoral Live Fire exercise at Camp Cape Bojeador and Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui.

The collaboration between the U.S. and Philippine Marines showcased their adeptness in coordinating, planning, and executing large-scale, intricate, multi-lateral training exercises. This demonstration underscores the enhanced capability and capacity of the combined and joint forces to conduct territorial defense operations.

“Exercises are like a second language that, as you are performing the exercise, you are also sending a message to both your adversaries, your like-minded partners, and other stakeholders,” said AFP Col. Michael Logico, director of the joint and combined training center of the AFP. “It sends a message of confidence in our ability to protect as north as possible. It’s also a message of deterrence.”

The ability of the U.S. to train with the AFP in the Philippines is founded on one treaty and two agreements: the Mutual Defense Treaty, signed in 1951; the Visiting Forces Agreement, signed in 1998; and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, signed in 2014. These agreements allow both nations to strengthen military, economic, and cultural ties for years to come through continued bilateral training opportunities. In April of 2023, the U.S. and Philippines announced plans to expand the EDCA to include four new sites, two of which were used to support bilateral training between 3rd MLR and their PMC counterparts with 4th Marine Brigade in the 2024 iteration of the exercise.

As 3rd MLR forces complete their retrograde from the Philippines, the U.S. Marines are already working alongside their AFP and PMC partners to plan next year’s return.

“The U.S. Marines exercise in the Philippines because our allies are in the Philippines,” said Col. John Lehane, the commanding officer of 3rd MLR. “We will continue to do so as long as we are invited back by our Philippine allies each year.”

With the Philippine-led exercises growing in scale and complexity, bilateral staff discussions of 3rd MLR bringing additional capabilities, personnel, and equipment into the country for next year’s iterations have already begun.

“The more that 3rd MLR can enhance and enable the naval, joint, and combined forces’ ability to sense and make sense of the operating environment while providing a combat-credible rapid and ready response capability, the more we can complicate an adversary’s decision-making cycle and contribute to our Philippine allies’ goal of deterrence,” said Lehane.

3rd Marine Littoral Regiment is a dedicated U.S. Marine Corps unit specializing in amphibious and littoral warfare operations. Stationed on Oahu, Hawaii, and deployed throughout the Indo-Pacific region, 3rd MLR is committed to promoting regional security and stability through strategic partnerships and collaborative efforts with partner nations and Allies.

​For media inquiries, please contact: 1st Lt. Annie Pentaleri, 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment COMMSTRAT, anne.pentaleri@usmc.mil

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

On February 19th, 1945, more than 70,000 United States Marines landed on the dark volcanic beaches of Iwo Jima. As gunfire whizzed overhead and artillery screamed through the skies, these 70,000 men pressed forward to establish control of the island to provide a staging area for air raids against Japan’s mainland.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

HONOLULU, Hawaii  –  

The opening ceremony and press conference kicked off the 29th edition of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the world’s largest international maritime exercise, today.

​Approximately 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel will train and operate in and around the Hawaiian Islands during the exercise, which runs until Aug. 1. RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans.

“The Rim of the Pacific exercise has grown over the years to be the world’s largest and premier joint combined maritime training opportunity,” said Vice Adm. John Wade, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet and RIMPAC 2024 Combined Task Force (CTF) commander. “The exercise’s purpose is to build relationships, to enhance interoperability and proficiency and, ultimately, contribute to the peace and stability in the vitally-important Indo-Pacific region.”

The theme of RIMPAC 2024 is “Partners: Integrated and Prepared.”

For the first time in RIMPAC history, a member of the Chilean Navy, Commodore Alberto Guerrero, will serve as deputy commander of the CTF. Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Kazushi Yokota will serve as the vice commander. Other key leaders of the multinational force will include Commodore Kristjan Monaghan of the Royal Canadian Navy, who will command the maritime component, and Air Commodore Louise DesJardins of the Royal Australian Air Force, who will command the air component.

This year’s RIMPAC will host its largest humanitarian aid and disaster relief exercise with eight countries, five ships, five landing craft, five aircraft, multiple land forces, and over 2,500 total participants including the statewide Hawaii Healthcare Emergency Management exercise.

During RIMPAC, participating forces integrate and exercise a wide range of capabilities, from disaster relief to maritime security operations, and from sea control to complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic preparation and training syllabus includes amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine, and air defense exercises, as well as military medicine, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and salvage operations.

With inclusivity at its core, RIMPAC fosters multinational cooperation and trust, leverages interoperability, and achieves respective national objectives to strengthen integrated, prepared, coalition partners.

​For more RIMPAC 2024 information and updates, visit https://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/. Any additional questions or queries should be sent to rimpac.media@gmail.com.

Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

Papua New Guinea  –  

Papua New Guinea Defense Force, collaborating with Papua New Guinea National Disaster Centre (NDC) and the United States Army, hosted a second annual Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange (DREE) at The Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby from June 18th through 21st, 2024.

The goal of the two countries was to develop shared understanding on disaster response, facilitate cooperation between the two nations, and provide relevant training in lecture-based and simulated tabletop exercise walk-throughs of real-world potential disaster scenarios over the course of four days. As part of opening comments, Lieutenant Colonel Brian Krieck of the United States Army’s 9th Mission Support Command spoke to the importance of the exercise, noting “Disasters are not often able to be prevented, but they are always able to be mitigated through proper planning, coordination, and understanding between those responding and those affected, whether human or natural [disasters].”

The training, facilitated by the Institute for Security Governance (ISG) included presenters and speakers from the United Nations, Papua New Guinea National Disaster Centre, the United States Agency for International Development, the United States’ Center for Excellence – Disaster Management, the United States’ state-level Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs, and the Australian Civil-Military Center.

Attending the training were over 22 participants, to include several from Papua New Guinea Defense Force, as well as from Papua New Guinea Fire Service, the National Disaster Centre – Youths, Dept. of Education, Dept. of Provincial and Local Government Affairs, Dept. of Mineral Policy and Geohazards, and Caritas – PNG. The attendees learned about, discussed, and applied knowledge gained on topics including humanitarian assistance, coordination with international and civil society organizations, “whole of community” approaches to disaster response, migrants in crisis, and disaster recovery, culminating in full-day simulated practice of skills responding to earthquakes, power outages, and humanitarian response at both the national and provincial level.

As part of the final day, U.S. Army Major Ryan McCauley, U.S. Embassy Office of Defense Cooperation, expressed support for Papua New Guinea on behalf of the United States in regard to the May 24th landslide in Mulitaka, Enga Province, and reflected upon the training as well as the importance of cooperation between the nations and agencies represented, noting that, “Through shared understanding, our agencies and the professionals who work in them are better-prepared to plan as well as respond to disasters. The real-world applications of this training are critical for every organization involved, and will help save lives and rebuild communities, through better preparation before, as well as deliberate action after, when disasters occur.”

​Concluding the ceremony, Papua New Guinea Defense Force Lieutenant Colonel Silas Auro, Staff Officer 1, Force Preparation, declared to the participants, “Disasters affect human beings, they affect our families. Whatever we’ve gained this week is of importance to us, to include gaining information, developing the situation, and knowing who to call.” Lieutenant Colonel Auro concluded, “We would like to get our friends from other parts of the Pacific to attend so we are in the same lines of thought on disaster. If we need to help, we need to help. If we need the help, we can count on them.”