By Lt. Col. Thomas Burket
From USARPAC G2X
FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii - Recently there have been multiple styles of foreign uniforms seen on Fort Shafter. Representatives from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, as well as Soldiers from U.S. Army Pacific and the 500th Military Intelligence Brigade, executed Exercise Vigilant Pacific Nov. 1 -- 8 operating out of Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
This year's exercise had 32 personnel participating was focused on counterintelligence operations to identify interoperability challenges and shared practices.
VIGPAC, began in 1995, is an annual multi-lateral exercise rotated between the countries to train counterintelligence and human intelligence professionals from the commonwealth nations and learn tactics and techniques from ten years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This is a unique opportunity to come together, our Five Eye partners, to learn best practices in investigations and surveillance techniques.
Teams composed of commonwealth Soldiers and Airmen conducted joint investigations and surveillance of simulated insider threat actors on post and within the greater Honolulu and Waikiki areas.
Results of the exercise identified a scripted host nation contractor providing information to the enemy, said Flight Sergeant Chris Tubby, New Zealand Air Force Chief of Investigations. "We had a good team dynamic based on a good cross section of experience."