News Story: Task Group deployment to strengthen regional military cooperation

An Australian Defence Force (ADF) Joint Task Group, Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2017, departed Sydney today to participate in a series of key military exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Running from 4 September to 26 November, Indo-Pacific Endeavour will focus on enhancing military cooperation with some of Australia’s key regional partners including Brunei, Cambodia, the Federated States of Micronesia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor-Leste.

More than 1200 ADF personnel will participate in the deployment, which is being led by Canberra-class amphibious assault ship HMAS Adelaide.

HMAS Adelaide will be accompanied at various stages of the deployment by HMAS Melbourne, HMAS Darwin, HMAS Toowoomba, HMAS Parramatta, and HMAS Sirius, making this the biggest coordinated task group deployment since the early 1980s.

Minister Payne said the Indo-Pacific Endeavour deployment, which has been in planning for over 12 months, was part of ongoing efforts to enhance and develop strong positive relations with regional militaries through both dialogue and practical activities.

USA: US, Timor-Leste to partner for annual CARAT exercise

From Task Force 75

In this file photo, Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Carson Jones reviews evidence collection procedures with Forsa Defesa Timor-Leste service members in August 2016. (U.S. Navy/MCC Lowell Whitman) >>

DILI, East Timor - U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, Timor-Leste National Police, and Forsa Defesa Timor-Leste will work together during the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise with the arrival of U.S. Navy Task Group 75.5 in Dili, July 31.

CARAT Timor-Leste 2017 is part of a series of bilateral CARAT military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Thailand, Bangladesh, Brunei, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.

The focus of CARAT is developing maritime security capabilities and increasing interoperability among participants. Skill areas exercised during the CARAT include small boat maintenance, evidence collection, diving procedures, and antiterrorism security.

USA: USNS Sacagawea arrives in New Caledonia for Koa Moana 2017

By MC3 Madailein Abbott

USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) sits anchored off shore of Kiribati during the most recent Koa Moana, June 19. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Madailein Abbott) >>

NOUMEA, New Caledonia -Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) arrived in New Caledonia June 25 in support of Koa Moana 17 (Ocean Warrior).

The Koa Moana exercise series seeks to enhance senior military leader engagements between allied and partner nations with a collective interest in military-to-military relations and to discuss key aspects of military operations, capability development, and interoperability.

From June-September 2017 U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine regiment, 1st Marine Division, stationed in Twentynine Palms, Calif. and Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, from Marine Corps Base Hawaii have embarked aboard the USNS Sacagawea to participate in Koa Moana 17 events in Kiribati, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Working alongside these partner nations, the Marines also work alongside the crew of the USNS Sacagawea, attending shipboard training, drills, and sharing workload duties during their time onboard.

News Story: Indonesia backs down in Australia military row

Indonesia appeared to back down Thursday from a decision to suspend all military cooperation with Australia in a row over teaching materials, with a senior minister saying only language training had been put on hold.

The Indonesian military said Wednesday that military cooperation with Canberra, including joint exercises and exchange programmes, had been put on ice last month after teaching materials deemed offensive to Jakarta were found at an Australian army base.

The row erupted after a visiting Indonesian officer raised concerns about the materials at a language training facility in Perth.

Indonesia's military chief General Gatot Nurmantyo told reporters it involved "unethical stuff" which "discredits Indonesia and its military, even the nation's ideology".

He said it concerned East Timor -- which seceded from Indonesia after a bloody occupation -- the Papuan region's independence movement and the nation's founding philosophy "Pancasila", all deeply sensitive topics for the Indonesian military.

But following the military's announcement, leaders of both Australia and Indonesia publicly insisted ties were strong before Indonesian Security Minister Wiranto announced Thursday he was giving a "clarification" after receiving information from Nurmantyo.

The military "has temporarily suspended cooperation in language training," said the minister in a statement, adding it was due to "a small incident that has offended our dignity as a nation".

But he said Indonesia was not "completely stopping all cooperation", contradicting the earlier military statement. Indonesian and Australian forces cooperate on a range of issues from border protection to counter-terrorism.

"The suspension is temporary and will be resumed after Australia clearly takes measures to resolve the matter," he added.

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Report: Interpol Arrests 1,500 Across Asia for Telephone, Email Scams

More than 1,500 individuals have been arrested in a two-month operation First Light 2016 for committing social engineering and payment card fraud as well as romance scams, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) announced in a press release on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Police across the region conducted raids of suspicious call centers, with the largest one in the Philippines, where officers "arrested some 1,300 Chinese nationals working in a single location as part of a massive criminal operation."

"More than 1,500 people have been arrested in an Interpol operation targeting a multi-million Euro telephone and e-mail scam across Asia," the release stated.

Social engineering fraud refers to scams which manipulate or trick people into giving out confidential or personal information that can then be used for financial gain, the release explained.

News Story: (Vietnam) President urges enhanced cooperation with Timor Leste

Hanoi (VNA) – President Tran Dai Quang has suggested stronger cooperation between Vietnam and Timor Leste in all fields, especially in the economy, trade and investment. 

In a meeting with Timor Leste’s out-going Ambassador to Vietnam Jorge Trindade Neves De Camoes in Hanoi on December 15, the President affirmed Vietnam always attaches importance to boosting relations with Timor Leste in both bilateral and multilateral cooperation structure. 

Highlighting the great potential for the two nations to bolster connection, President Quang stressed the two sides need maintain the exchange of all-level visits and promote people-to-people exchange, thus strengthening mutual understanding and trust as well as expanding collaboration. 

He asked the Timor Leste side to complete internal procedures, towards enabling the bilateral Trade Agreement between the two countries signed in 2013 to take effect as soon as possible.

Read the full story at VietnamPlus

USA: USNS Mercy returns to San Diego after Pacific Partnership

By Petty Officer 3rd Class Trevor Kohlrus

Sailors aboard USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) man the rails as the hospital ship returns to San Diego, Sept. 30. (U.S. Navy/PO2 Lindsey E. Skelton) >>

SAN DIEGO - Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) returned to Naval Base San Diego Sept. 30 after a five-month deployment to Southeast Asia in support of Pacific Partnership 2016.

Mercy served as the command platform for the mission, and returns to San Diego with more than 600 Sailors, Marines, Soldiers and civilian mariners after mission stops in Timor Leste, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Throughout the mission Pacific Partnership personnel worked alongside their counterparts in each country to share knowledge and best practices in disaster response preparedness through subject matter expert exchanges, workshops and exercises in humanitarian assistance disaster relief, medical, civil-engineering, and Women, Peace and Security.

“Pacific Partnership was a resounding success," said Medical Treatment Facility Mercy Commanding Officer, Capt. Peter Roberts. "At our peak, Medical Treatment Facility Mercy had over 800 people working in the medical line of effort. They each brought their own special talents and a great deal of commitment to the mission. Much was asked of them and they really delivered over the last five months. Our focus on capacity building will have long lasting positive effects on those countries and our collective ability to work together and respond to crises of many types.”

Think Tank: The South China Sea arbitration ruling—two months on

Sam Bateman

ASPI recently published an anthology of pieces about the ruling by an Arbitral Tribunal established under the UN Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) to deal with the dispute between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea (SCS). Those articles were written within a few weeks of the ruling. Now, some two months on, it’s useful to assess the impact of the ruling, particularly in the light of recent ASEAN meetings and the East Asia Summit held in Laos.

Despite pressure from the United States and Japan, the recent regional meetings didn’t mention the arbitral ruling in their closing statements, indicating the influence China enjoys within the region. It also suggests that while Southeast Asian countries want the United States to remain in the region as a balance to China, they’re rather less supportive of more challenging moves by Washington.

Australia has called on the Philippines and China to abide by the ruling as final and binding on both parties. Australia became one of only seven countries to formally call for the award to be respected, along with Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United States and Vietnam. Southeast Asian countries other than the Philippines and Vietnam have opted to ‘sit on the fence’.

USA: USNS Mercy returns to 3rd Fleet after Pacific Partnership

By MC3 Trevor Kohlrus, Pacific Partnership Public Affairs

USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) steams through the Pacific earlier this week. (U.S. Navy/MC2 Hank Gettys) >>

PACIFIC OCEAN - Pacific Partnership 2016, embarked aboard hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations Sept. 15, en route to Hawaii for a brief stop as the mission nears conclusion.

Mercy departed Naval Base San Diego May 11 and served as the command platform for the Pacific Partnership 2016 mission. Pacific Partnership is the largest annual, multilateral disaster response preparedness mission in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

"The objective was to improve interoperability between countries to strengthen the relationships and partnerships," said Cmdr. Miguel Gutierrez, director of medical operations, Pacific Partnership 2016.

USA: Pacific Partnership departs Indonesia, final mission stop

By MC2 William Cousins, Pacific Partnership Public Affairs

Cmdr. Miguel Gutierrez plays with Indonesian children during a Pacific Partnership 2016 surgical screening, Aug. 20. (USMC/Sgt. Brittney Vella) >>

PADANG, Indonesia - Pacific Partnership 2016, embarked aboard hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), departed its fifth and final mission stop, Padang, Indonesia, Aug. 30, completing two weeks of humanitarian assistance disaster response collaboration and training, medical and engineering subject matter expert exchanges, cooperative health engagements and community relation events.

This year marks the fifth time the mission has visited Indonesia in the past 11 years. Pacific Partnership personnel worked alongside the Tentara Nasional Indonesia, civilian leadership and government officials from the Padang community, improving interoperability and enhancing relationships.

One of the main lines of effort was a humanitarian assistance disaster relief field training exercise. The event involved more than 200 participants including Pacific Partnership personnel and Indonesian agencies ranging from government leaders to the national military.

USA: US, Timor-Leste Forces Complete CARAT Exercise

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Rosalie Chang

Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4

U.S. Navy units from Commander, Task Force 75, U.S. Marines, and Forsa Defesa Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) service members completed the 4th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Timor-Leste with a closing ceremony at Port Hera Naval Base, Aug. 5.

During the weeklong exercise, U.S. Navy Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4, Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, Riverine Sailors from Coastal Riverine Group (CRG) 1, and U.S. Marines from Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Pacific (FASTPAC), worked together with the F-FDTL to enhance their defensive and maritime security operation capabilities through training and mission planning, maritime evidence collection, unit level command and control, infantry skills, staff planning and small boat engine maintenance and repair.

“To all the warriors standing before me, congratulations on the initiative demonstrated, the toughness and the achievements you accomplished this week,” said Capt. Erich Diehl, commodore, Commander Task Force 75. “These engagements are extremely important in delivering our common vision of advancing Indo-Asia Pacific Regional Maritime security, enhancing stability and enduring international framework of norms, standards and rules of laws.” 

USA: U.S., Timor-Leste begin 4th CARAT exercise

From Task Force 75 Public Affairs

U.S. Navy Engineering Aide 3rd Class Quinton Schnarrs, assists members of the Forsa Defesa Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) in putting together a course of action for a simulated mission plan during CARAT Timor-Leste. (U.S. Navy/MC1 Rosalie Chang) >>

DILI, Timor-Leste - U.S. Navy units from Commander, Task Force 75, U.S. Marines, and Forsa Defesa Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) service members kicked off the 4th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Timor-Leste during a opening ceremony at Port Hera Naval Base, Aug. 1.

U.S. Navy Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4, explosive ordnance disposal technicians from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 5, Riverine Sailors from Coastal Riverine Group 1, and U.S. Marines from the Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Pacific, will work hand-in-hand with their F-FDTL counterparts throughout the weeklong exercise.

The exercise will cover a variety of training topics such as information gathering, small craft maintenance and repair, infantry tactics, and staff planning, with each subject covered culminating in the practical application of the skills learned.

USA: Pacific Partnership 2016 kicks off in Vietnam

By Cpl. Brittney Vella, Pacific Partnership Public Affairs

USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) transits through the South China Sea July 13 while en route to Da Nang, Vietnam. (U.S. Marine Corps/Sgt. Brittney Vella) >>

DA NANG, Vietnam - Pacific Partnership 2016 (PP16) is underway in Da Nang following the July 15 arrival of USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship JS Shimokita (LST 4002), which will be joined by the Vietnam People's Navy ship Khanh Hoa in this year's disaster preparedness mission.

This is the third consecutive year and seventh time in 11 years the Pacific Partnership mission has taken place in Vietnam’s provinces and cities.

Participating in this year's events are many partner nations, including Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Palau, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Timor Leste, the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Vietnam, with the purpose of improving disaster preparedness and regional responsiveness.

NZ: NZDF Personnel Join Humanitarian Visit to Timor-Leste

Nine New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel took part in a number of community engagements during a recent two-week humanitarian visit to Timor-Leste as part of the annual Pacific Partnership.

Wing Commander (WGCDR) Michelle White, Senior National Officer of the NZDF contingent and Chief of Staff of this year’s Pacific Partnership mission, said members of the New Zealand contingent worked with counterparts from partner-nations, Timor-Leste’s government, military and civilian agencies, and non-governmental organisations to conduct community health exchanges and medical conferences.

“In addition to helping provide direct medical care ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with local providers, our NZDF members also shared their knowledge and skills on preventative medicine, oral health, nursing, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief planning, including a focus on gender considerations in disasters,” WGCDR White said.

USA: Task Force Koa Moana to start training exercise in Fiji and Tonga

Approximately 200 Marines, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen from I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) and III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF), U.S. Navy 7th Fleet, and U.S. Coast Guard's 14th District enforcement staff and Maritime Safety and Security Team, Honolulu personnel will participate in Exercise Koa Moana 16-2 and 16-4 scheduled from May to December. The service members will conduct theater security cooperation events in Asia-Pacific with several partner nations, including Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Fiji with exercise in Fiji and Tonga scheduled for July.

Exercise Koa Moana, meaning ocean warrior, is designed to improve interoperability and enhance military-to-military relations. The exercise will give U.S. service members exposure to different types of terrain and familiarity of the region to improve their ability to respond in the event of a natural disaster. Koa Moana provides a unique training opportunity for building stronger relationships and promoting capacity for training.

The current 16-2 iteration will focus primarily on enhancing partnerships, improving U.S. Marines’ expeditionary proficiency and military engineering capabilities between the partners, while follow-on iterations will also feature U.S. Pacific Fleet forces and other units assigned to Marine Forces Pacific. Through continued multilateral training, the partnership between the U.S and its regional partners is enhanced and strengthened to ensure the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. Koa Moana 16-2, like all multilateral training exercises, is dedicated to maintaining a flexible and effective force in readiness and is not connected to any current events. 

US Embassy - Suva/Fiji/Kiribati/Nauru/Tonga/Tuvalu

USA: Pacific Partnership concludes Timor-Leste mission stop

By MC2 Hank Gettys, Pacific Partnership 2016 Public Affairs

Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) sits anchored off the coast of Timor-Leste during its first mission stop of Pacific Partnership 2016. (U.S. Navy/MC1 Elizabeth Merriam) >>

DILI, Timor-Leste - Pacific Partnership 2016 departed Timor-Leste June 21, after completing two weeks of subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE) in civil-military disaster response preparedness, cooperative health engagements (CHE) and engineering projects.

“At every level we’ve continued to build upon the partnerships we began ten years ago when Pacific Partnership first visited Timor-Leste," said Capt. Tom Williams, Pacific Partnership 2016 mission commander. "We’ve forged new relationships, increased the scope of our mission with our Timor-Leste partners, and increased our collective capacity to respond to disaster in the region. The teamwork I’ve seen in Timor-Leste gives me great confidence that as we leave here we are all better prepared to respond when disaster strikes.”

USA: Exercise Koa Moana - U.S. Naval Ship to Visit Port Moresby

USNS Sacagawea (Image: Wiki Commons)

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea: The United States Naval Ship (USNS) Sacagawea will visit Port Moresby from June 17 to 24 as part of Exercise Koa Moana 16.2, a bilateral exchange between the U.S Marine Corps and the Papua New Guinea Defense Force.

In addition to working with Papua New Guinea, U.S. service members on the USNS Sacagawea will conduct security cooperation events in Asia-Pacific with several other partner nations, including Timor Leste, Tonga, and Fiji.

Exercise Koa Moana, which is Hawaiian meaning “Ocean Warrior”, is designed to improve interoperability and enhance military-to-military relations with partner nations. The exercise will give U.S. service members exposure to different types of terrain and familiarity in the event of a natural disaster in the region. Exercise Koa Moana provides a unique training opportunity for building stronger relationships and promoting capacity for training. Additionally, a combined U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard team will conduct operations to help combat transnational crime on the high seas within partner nations’ Exclusive Economic Zones.

The current Koa Moana iteration will focus primarily on improving partnerships, community relation projects, utilizing amphibious assets and engineering capabilities between the allied nations, while follow-on iterations will feature U.S. Pacific Fleet forces, such as the Navy’s 7th Fleet, and other units assigned to Marine Forces Pacific.

Through continued multilateral training, the partnership between the U.S and regional allies is enhanced and strengthened to ensure the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. Koa Moana 16.2, like all multilateral training exercises, is dedicated to maintaining a flexible and effective force in readiness and is not connected to any current events.

US Embassy Papua New Guinea

USA: Pacific Partnership 2016 arrives in Timor-Leste

By MC2 Hank Gettys, Pacific Partnership Public Affairs

In this file photo, USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) sits off the coast of Dili during a previous Pacific Partnership mission. (U.S. Navy/MC2 Joseph Seavey) >>

DILI, Timor-Leste - Pacific Partnership 2016 arrived in Timor-Leste June 8 for the sixth time in the past eleven years and the first mission stop for hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).

While in Timor-Leste, Pacific Partnership personnel will work side-by-side with civilian leadership from the Dili community and Timor-Leste Defense Forces in a disaster relief symposium, civil engineering projects, cooperative health engagements (CHE), subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE) and community service projects.

Chief Information Technology Specialist Sean Beeler, assistant officer-in-charge for Timor-Leste, is looking forward to the first mission stop.

“I am very excited to see our team working with partner nation personnel to build relationships and gain knowledge in the medical field, along with the completion of the school projects, which will have a big impact on the children in Timor Leste,” said Beeler.

USA: USNS Mercy stops in Guam during Pacific Partnership

From Pacific Partnership Public Affairs

In this file photo, Pacific Partnership mission personnel man the rails as USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) departs Pearl Harbor earlier this month. (U.S. Navy/MC2 Johans Chavarro) >>

NAVAL BASE GUAM - Hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived in Guam May 31 in support of Pacific Partnership 2016.

While in Guam, personnel aboard the ship will participate in a field training exercise to train mission personnel prior to the first mission stop. Mercy is also taking on supplies, additional crew, both civilian and military, during the stop.

After Guam, Mercy will visit Timor-Leste, the Republic of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, where Pacific Partnership personnel will participate in cooperative subject-matter expert and civil-military exchanges, focused on disaster response preparedness, emphasizing the importance of cooperation on regional scale.

USA: USNS Mercy Arrives in 7th Fleet for Pacific Partnership 2016

From Pacific Partnership Public Affairs

PACIFIC OCEAN — The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) arrived in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations May 24 in support of Pacific Partnership 2016. Now in its 11th year, Pacific Partnership is a multi-lateral, disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region.

“Partner nations, who invited Pacific Partnership 2016 to visit, refined our mission’s focus this year. Over the past several months we have worked side-by-side with a dozen partner nations planning disaster relief, medical and engineering projects and exchanges that will strengthen mutual understanding and partnerships in the region,” said Capt. Tom Williams, U.S. Navy, Pacific Partnership 2016 mission commander.

Pacific Partnership 2016 will conduct stops in Timor Leste, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Palau, with partners from around the Pacific including: Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Non-governmental organizations also participate in the mission including Project Hope, Latter Day Saints Charities, University of California San Diego, Project Handclasp, and World Vets. Medical and civil engineering teams will collaborate with partner nations in subject matter expert exchanges, disaster relief preparedness exercises and community relations projects.