Paparo began the trip in Sydney to attend the culminating event of the Integrated Battle Problem 23.3 exercise alongside senior defense officials from Australia and the United Kingdom in support of AUKUS Pillar 2. While at Fleet Base East, Paparo visited USS Oakland (LCS 24), which had participated in the exercise.
He then traveled to Perth to meet with senior Australian and UK officials to discuss various topics including maritime security threats to the region and Submarine Rotational Force West under AUKUS Pillar 1. They spoke about ways to deepen naval cooperation in support of AUKUS.
Officials included:
- The Hon. Marie Rennie, British Consul-General Perth
- The Hon. Paul Papalia, Western Australian Minister for Defence Industry
- The Hon. Deb Hamblin, Mayor of Rockingham
- The Hon. Logan Howlett, Mayor of Cockburn
- Rear Adm. Matthew Buckley, Head Nuclear Submarine Capability, RAN
- Capt. Ken Burleigh, Commanding Officer HMAS Stirling
- Capt. Will McDougall, Director Submarine Rotational Force West, RAN
Paparo returned to Sydney to participate in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Indo-Pacific Sea Power Conference. He joined senior leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Canada, India, Japan, and Australia in a panel discussion on ‘
What does Fleet 2035 Look Like,’ in which they emphasized the need for innovation, creativity, ingenuity, interoperability in developing future naval capabilities, and the unceasing importance of partnerships and relationships between navies.
During the conference, he met with senior Government of Australia, RAN, and ally and partner military officials to discuss the importance of maritime security and interoperability between naval forces in the Indo-Pacific.
Bilateral meetings included:
- The Hon. Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence for Australia
- Gen. Angus Campbell, Chief of Defence Force, Australia Defence Force
- Air Marshal Leon Phillips, Chief, Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance
- Adm. Ryo Sakai, Chief of Staff, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force
- Adm. Adoong Pan-Iam, Commander in Chief, Royal Thai Navy
- Vice Adm. Mark Hammond, Chief of Navy, Royal Australian Navy
- Vice Adm. Jan Kaack, Chief of Navy, German Navy
- Vice Adm. Priyantha Perera, Commander, Sri Lanka Navy
- Vice Adm. Tran Thanh Nghiem, Commander, Vietnam People’s Navy
- Rear Adm. David Proctor, Chief of Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy
- Rear Adm. Geoffroy d’Andigne, Commander of Armed Forces in Polynesia
The visit to Australia underscored the United States’ commitment to strengthening partnerships and alliances for an enduring resilient, free, and open Indo-Pacific.