News Report: US, Palau to Build New Radar System in Pacific to Keep More Eyes on North Korea

The Pentagon and Palau, a nation of more than 500 islands and islets in Oceania, have mutually agreed to install a radar system to help the US monitor the local air domain while respecting the integrity of the National Marine Sanctuary in Koror, Palau.

On Thursday, the Defense Department and Office of Palau President Tommy Remengesau said they were finalizing joint plans to install an unspecified radar system on the island chain, Channel News Asia reports. While the parties have agreed in principle to move forward with the plans, the radar’s geographic placement has yet to be solidified.

According to a Compact of Free Association signed by former President Bill Clinton on October 1, 1994, Palau does not maintain a military and is reliant on Washington for its defense needs. The island nation is approximately 1,300 kilometers southwest of Guam, a US territory that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea recently threatened to strike with intercontinental ballistic missiles.

News Story: Senate OKs ‘Indispensable’ Palau Compact In NDAA

By COLIN CLARK

WASHINGTON: If the Pacific is the most important theater, then the islands of Palau are surely among the most important pieces of real estate for the US. As we reported earlier, however, the House Armed Services Committee didn’t seem to accept this when they dropped language from the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act authorizing payment due to Palau for exclusive US military access to the islands.

China, of course, would love to wedge itself into Palau, as they have done so successfully in other Pacific island states such as Fiji.

The news here is that Sen. John McCain’s Senate Armed Services Committee did approve the Palau Compact language, as we predicted. The Trump Administration admonished the House in its Statement of Administration Policy on the 2018 NDAA: “Failure to approve the CRA could imperil ongoing national security initiatives with the Republic of Palau and destabilize United States access and influence in a region that is increasingly contested by China.”

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

News Story: ‘Indispensable’ Palau Deal At Risk - Will China Get Access

Click Image to Enlarge

By COLIN CLARK

“Palau is indispensable to our national security and funding the compact is key to our strategic presence in the region.”

That’s what the Defense Department’s 2018 budget request says.

Why is Palau indispensable? Look at the map. That will help. It commands approaches to the Philippines and to Indonesia, as well as Papua New Guinea. And, of course, they flank the Marshall Islands, as well as a wide range of Pacific islands flanking our ally Australia. Also, one source notes that the importance of Palau airfields have taken on “increased importance for PACOM/PACAF given Duterte and his rhetoric in the Philippines.” It provides “a more guaranteed form of access to airfields in the second island chain,” this source says.

And you can read what the head of Pacific Command, Adm. Harry Harris told the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 27:

I strongly urge Congress to pass legislation to approve and implement the 2010 Palau Compact Review Agreement at the earliest opportunity. The passage of this legislation will have a significant impact on our defense relationship with Palau, and will provide a measurable advantage in our strategic posture in the Western Pacific.

The problem is that the House Armed Services Committee doesn’t seem to think Palau is important to warrant taking money from the Defense Department budget and sending it to the Interior Department, which is what the budget request would do. So, they’ve peeled the money out of their version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, according to two sources familiar with the issue.

Read the full story at Breaking Defense

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.”

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: Pacific Partnership 2016 Completes Palau Mission

From Pacific Partnership Public Affairs

KOROR, Palau (NNS) -- Pacific Partnership 2016 departed Palau Aug. 15 aboard JS Shimokita (LST 4002) after completing two weeks of medical and engineering initiatives designed to promote cooperation and knowledge exchange between local authorities and the multinational Pacific Partnership team.

While in Palau, the Pacific Partnership team made up of service members and civilians from Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, worked alongside civilian and military leadership to conduct cooperative health engagements, civil-engineering projects, and subject matter expert exchanges in nursing and pharmacy, all focused on improving partner nations' collective ability to respond to a variety of natural disasters. The visit to Palau is part of the wider Pacific Partnership 2016 mission, building cooperation between partner nations.

Medical engagements included eye surgery, patient care aboard a vision van brought from Japan for the mission, and basic life support and dental subject matter expert exchanges between Pacific Partnership and Palau medical providers. 

USA: JMSDF leads Pacific Partnership mission in Palau

From Pacific Partnership Public Affairs

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's JS Shimokita (LST 4002) sits at anchor off Koror during Pacific Partnership 2016. >>

KOROR, Palau - Pacific Partnership 2016 arrived in Palau, Aug. 4, aboard JS Shimokita (LST 4002), making this the second year Pacific Partnership has visited Palau since the mission began in 2006.

The Pacific Partnership team, made up of service members and civilians from Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, will work with civilian and military leadership to conduct cooperative health engagements, subject matter expert exchanges in nursing and pharmacy, and civil-engineering projects, all focused on improving partner nations' collective ability to respond to a variety of natural disasters.

USA: Pacific Partnership 2016 arrives in Palau

JS Shimokita (Image: Wiki Commons)

From Pacific Partnership Public Affairs

KOROR, Palau (NNS) -- Pacific Partnership 2016 arrived in Palau, Aug. 4, aboard JS Shimokita (LST 4002), making this the second year Pacific Partnership has visited Palau since the mission began in 2006. 

The Pacific Partnership team, made up of service members and civilians from Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, will work with civilian and military leadership to conduct cooperative health engagements, subject matter expert exchanges in nursing and pharmacy, and civil-engineering projects, all focused on improving partner nations' collective ability to respond to a variety of natural disasters. 

The Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force worked closely with the government of Palau to plan a range of medical and engineering initiatives designed to promote cooperation and knowledge exchange between local authorities and the multinational Pacific Partnership team. The visit to Palau is part of the wider Pacific Partnership 2016 mission, building cooperation between allied and partner nations.

"This is the first time a Japanese naval vessel has visited Palau, and it's an honor for the Japanese to lead the Pacific Partnership mission in Palau, and to work with the government and people here," said Capt. Takeshi Okada, commander, Landing Ship Division One, embarked aboard Shimokita.

While Shimokita is in Palau, USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and the rest of the Pacific Partnership 2016 team will make mission stops in Malaysia and Indonesia. Pacific Partnership 2016 is focused on enhancing relationships and multinational interoperability through knowledge exchange and cooperative training, ensuring partner nations are prepared to collectively and effectively respond when disaster strikes. Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.

US Navy

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: Coast Guard, Navy complete joint fisheries patrol in Oceania

By Chief Petty Officer Sara Mooers, U.S. Coast Guard District 14 Hawaii

A U.S. Coastguardsman assigned to Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team Detachment 108, a Palauan law enforcement official and a Sailor assigned to USS Spruance (DDG 111) inspect a foreign fishing vessel June 3 as part of the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative. (U.S. Navy/MC2 Will Gaskill) >>

HONOLULU - The Coast Guard and Navy completed a 40-day joint mission in the Central and South Pacific under the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative to combat transnational crimes, enforce fisheries laws and enhance regional security, June 6.

A Coast Guard law enforcement detachment from Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team Detachment 108 embarked USS Spruance (DDG 111) and conducted 20 fisheries enforcement boardings with the assistance of the Navy's visit, board, search and seizure team and enforcement shipriders from the Federated States of Micronesia and Palau.

"OMSI demonstrates the ability to partner with not only military agencies, but local agencies," said Cmdr. Manuel Hernandez, commanding officer of Spruance. "The ability to leverage the unique capacity and capabilities of the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard and their experience in law enforcement, USDAO, Foreign Fisheries Agency, and our partner nations in the area in support of the security and stability, and therefore the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region is incredible."

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.

USA: USNS Mercy departs for Pacific Partnership

From U.S. Third Fleet Public Affairs

The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) departs Naval Base San Diego en route to the Western Pacific and this year's Pacific Partnership mission. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Christopher Veloicaza) >>

SAN DIEGO - The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and embarked "Blackjacks" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 departed May 11 for a deployment in support of Pacific Partnership 2016.

The 11th iteration of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's annual Pacific Partnership mission will take place in the host nations of Timor-Leste, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Japan will also lead a mission to Palau.

USA: USNS Mercy set to depart for Pacific Partnership

From U.S. Third Fleet Public Affairs

In this file photo, USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) sits anchored off the coast of Savusavu, Fiji, during Pacific Partnership 2015. (U.S. Navy/MC2 Mark El-Rayes) >>

SAN DIEGO - The hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) and embarked "Blackjacks" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 are scheduled to depart May 11 for a four-and-a-half-month deployment in support of the Navy's Pacific Partnership 2016.

The eleventh iteration of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's annual Pacific Partnership mission will take place in the Southeast Asia over a four and a half-month period beginning in mid-May.

Host nations will include Timor Leste, Republic of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Republic of Palau and Indonesia.

USA: 11th Pacific Partnership Mission Prepares to Enhance Cooperation, Strengthen Ties in Southeast Asia

From Task Force 73 Public Affairs

USNS Mercy sits at anchor off the coast of Rabual, Papua New Guinea, during the 2015 mission. (U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Peter Reft) >>

SAN DIEGO - The U.S. Navy will join allied and partner nation forces for the 11th Pacific Partnership mission, scheduled to begin May 11. This annual maritime operation will help improve disaster response preparedness while enhancing partnerships with participating nations throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. This year's mission will be led by Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 23, embarked on the hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), and will include more than 600 military and civilian personnel from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, Republic of Korea and Japan.

USA: Assistant Secretary Russel Travel to Samoa, Tonga, and Palau

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel will travel to Apia, Samoa; Nuku'alofa, Tonga; and Koror, Palau, February 20-25, for bilateral meetings and regional consultations. Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Admiral Scott Swift will accompany Assistant Secretary Russel.

This high-level trip demonstrates the United States’ enduring commitment to the Pacific Islands region and the whole-of-government approach to enhancing our bilateral political, economic, and security relations in the Pacific. The trip also underscores continued U.S. support to the issues that are of utmost importance to the Pacific Islands, including climate change, the ocean, maritime security, women’s empowerment, sustainable development, and health.

In Apia, Samoa, Assistant Secretary Russel will meet with Samoan government officials and visit U.S. Government-supported projects that bolster security, women’s empowerment, and environmental protection.

In Tonga, Assistant Secretary Russel will meet with Tongan government officials in Nuku'alofa and visit a USAID coastal community adaptation project site in Popua.

In Koror, Palau, Assistant Secretary Russel will meet with the president of Palau and senior officials, make a televised address to a joint session of the Palauan legislature, and have bilateral meetings with the presidents of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia who will be in Palau for the Micronesian Chief Executives’ Summit.

US State Department

AUS: Papua New Guinea joins Pacific Maritime Security Program

Users of the Pacific class Patrol Boat supplied by Australia

Papua New Guinea today advised it would join the Pacific Maritime Security Program.

Papua New Guinea is now the twelfth regional partner to join the Pacific Maritime Security Program.

This Program provides a regional solution to regional security issues. Papua New Guinea’s participation further strengthens the benefits of the cooperative program, expanding the region’s capacity to secure maritime resources and provide humanitarian assistance.

The Pacific Maritime Security Program will replace the current Pacific Patrol Boat Program as the centrepiece of Australia’s security engagement in the South Pacific.

The initiative includes delivery of replacement Australian-built Pacific Patrol Boats, integrated aerial surveillance activities, and enhancement to regional coordination.

Australia will build up to 21 new patrol boats, creating $594 million worth of Australian defence industry opportunities, plus a further $1.38 billion to support 30 years of through-life sustainment and personnel costs.

Other Pacific Maritime Security Program partners include Solomon Islands, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tuvalu, Tonga, Cook Islands and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

AUS DoD

AUS: Tender announced for Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project

Pacific class Patrol Boat HMPNGS Drege

Today, the Government announces the Request for Tender (RFT) for the replacement – Australian-made – Pacific Patrol Boats under the Pacific Maritime Security Program, Project SEA3036 Phase 1.

This project represents a significant investment in Australian defence industry with the Australian-made patrol boats worth $594 million in addition to through life sustainment and personnel costs estimated at $1.38 billion over 30 years.

Building towards the release of the Defence White Paper, in December last year, the Government announced a plan that will allow for a sustainable naval shipbuilding industry that supports shipbuilding jobs. The Government recognises the significant value to our nation of a skilled naval shipbuilding workforce. 

The current Pacific Patrol Boat Program is the centrepiece of the Australian Government’s engagement in the South Pacific.

USA: The Pacific Islands - U.S. Conventional Weapons Destruction Programs Reduce Threats from World War II-era Munitions

WWII Ordnance awaits disposal (File Photo)

For more than 70 years, communities across the islands of the South Pacific have faced hidden hazards from buried and abandoned bombs, mortars, artillery shells, and unexploded ordnance dating back to World War II. Since 2009, the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA) has invested more than $5.6 million in support of conventional weapons destruction programs in the Pacific Islands. Old and degrading munitions pose a safety hazard as well as an environmental challenge. U.S. efforts reduce the humanitarian impact of abandoned World War II-era munitions caches across the region by funding survey and clearance operations as well as training missions.