KUANTAN, Malaysia — Pacific Partnership 2023 has concluded its mission stop in Kuantan during a closing ceremony hosted aboard the Harpers-Ferry class dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor, Sept. 15.
The largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific, Pacific Partnership enables participants, including U.S. and Malaysian personnel, to work together to enhance disaster response capabilities and foster new and enduring friendships.
“The Pacific Partnership mission brings an enhanced capability to the Indo-Pacific in a deliberate, sustainable, and transparent way by working to improve allied and partner nations' capabilities and interoperability,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Claudine Caluori, mission commander. “Our continuing forward-presence enables strong relationships, and enhances readiness for potential hazards and responses. The work completed and relationships built here in Malaysia is evidence of what partners can accomplish when unified in belief.”
While in Kuantan, the medical team conducted a total of 49 engagements. The team hosted various health engagements; conducted 10 medical symposiums with 16 side-by-side subject matter expert exchanges in the fields of physical therapy, dentistry, optometry, audiology, and nutrition; held nursing training for more than 300 Malaysian nurses and students; and conducted various veterinary symposiums and side-by-side events, treating more than 120 animals.
The Pacific Partnership team also provided focused support to address critical infrastructure concerns. U.S. Navy, Republic of Korea Navy, and Malaysian Armed forces engineers conducted repairs of a 50 foot water tower at Pandan Elementary School, impacting the educational environment for nearly 1,500 students and their teachers.
"We thank Malaysia for hosting Pacific Partnership 2023,” said U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Manu Bhalla, who spoke at the closing ceremony. “Through this multinational and multilateral exercise, we have strengthened our regional and bilateral partnerships, as well our collective capabilities to provide disaster relief and humanitarian, medical, and engineering assistance.”
Pacific Partnership 2023 will conduct mission stops throughout Southeast Asia and the South Pacific Islands.
For more information about Pacific Partnership visit
www.facebook.com/pacificpartnership,
www.instagram.com/pacific_partnership/ or
https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/C-LGWP. Pacific Partnership public affairs can be reached via email at
publicaffairs.pp23@gmail.com.