US Navy: Pacific Partnership ‘not a response’ to any tension involving other countries

The public should not mistake this year's conduct of the United States-led Pacific Partnership mission as a response to any tension or unprecedented events concerning other countries, US Navy Captain Claudine Caluori said on Friday.

Caluori, the mission commander of Pacific Partnership 2023, emphasized that a free Indo-Pacific is "vital to the interests of the United States and its allies and partners."

Asked if the Pacific Partnership 2023 would address such increasing tensions in the South China Sea as well the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Calouri said: "Pacific Partnership is conducted yearly, so it's not in response to any nation or current events."

She emphasized that the Pacific Partnership "does have an enduring history as a multinational mission designed to bring several nations together" to build relationships, enhance interoperability, and elevate preparedness for responding to disaster emergencies in the region.

"So the focus is disaster relief preparation. And as I stated earlier, for more than 70 years the US Navy has maintained a persistent maritime presence in the Indo-Pacific," Calouri noted.

"We remain committed to continuing this forward presence, which is focused on stability, regional cooperation, and economic prosperity for all nations," she further stressed.

Calouri explained that the mission of the US Navy and the Pacific Partnership crew mainly focused on enhancing regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities.

"We increase security and stability and we foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. The relationship between the countries we have visited and our partners is deep and enduring," she said.

The Pacific Partnership 2023 mission, consisting of nearly 1,500 US and partner nations' personnel, began last August in Vietnam.

Calouri said the crew has already completed stops in the Philippines, Malaysia, Samoa, Palau, and Papua New Guinea is set to conclude its stop in Fiji in the South Pacific.

The mission team embarked on the Harpers Fairy-class dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor LSD 52 and was joined by the Independence-Class littoral combat ship USS Jackson, or LCS-6.

During this mission, Calouri said a small crew of US sailors had the opportunity to board the Japanese tank landing ship, Shimokita, where they visited the Tailevu province and executed a mangrove revitalization project with other US Navy and Army, the Royal New Zealand Navy and Air Force, the Japanese Maritime and Ground Self-Defense Forces, the Republic of Fiji Maritime Military Forces, and students of the Ballantine Memorial Secondary School.

Calouri said the mission is a joint effort on behalf of Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

"And so this mission has allowed us to promote interoperability and multinational cooperation with allies and partners by highlighting multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief through medical and engineering projects, and it's also in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific," she noted.

The Pacific Partnership was realized after the devastation wrought by the December 2004 tsunami that swept through parts of South and Southeast Asia and began as a humanitarian response to one of the world's most catastrophic natural disasters.

"So at the invitation of hosts and nations, our mission partners visit and conduct tailored humanitarian civic action preparedness activities in areas such as engineering, disaster response, public health, and other outreach events," Calouri further explained.

An additional criteria including the host nations' objectives and desires, is also considered in the conduct of the mission, she added.

Calouri said the crew will continue its mission throughout the South Pacific until the end of this year.