The U.S. Pacific Fleet will join international forces in the 10th Pacific Partnership mission, scheduled to begin in early June.
This annual maritime operation will help improve disaster response preparedness while enhancing relationships among all participants.
Led by the U.S. Navy, the Pacific Partnership 2015 (PP15) team includes personnel and assets from Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and Timor-Leste. As a combined force, the PP15 team will visit seven host nations and engage in a variety of local outreach efforts.
Fiji, the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, Republic of Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, Republic of the Philippines and Vietnam are all scheduled to host this year’s Pacific Partnership mission.
On this 10-year anniversary of the South Asian tsunami, Mercy will return to the region and serve as the PP15 primary mission platform. U.S. Navy leaders from Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9 will serve as the mission command and will embark on Mercy to oversee PP15.
This will be the first Pacific Partnership mission involving a joint high speed vessel (JHSV). USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3) and its embarked personnel, led by U.S. Navy Seabees from the 30th Naval Construction Regiment (30 NCR) in Port Hueneme, Calif., will lend their efforts and expertise to the mission.
Image: US Navy