CAMP SMITH,
Hawaii -- Commander of U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr.
will depart Hawaii Oct. 30 for a six-day trip to visit the Republic of Korea
(ROK) and the People’s Republic of China.
Harris will
visit U.S. military forces stationed in South Korea before joining U.S. Defense
Secretary Ash Carter, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F.
Dunford Jr. and U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti for the 2015 Military Committee Meeting (MCM) and Security
Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Seoul.
The MCM and SCM are bilateral, alliance coordination meetings between
the ROK and U.S. addressing alliance topics to enhance combined readiness and
provide for the defense of South Korea.
On Monday, Nov.
2 (local), Harris will begin his first official visit to China as the Commander
of USPACOM. In addition to meeting with
U.S. Ambassador Max Baucus, Harris will spend three days conducting engagements
with senior military leaders from the Peoples Liberation Army and visiting
Chinese military installations. Sustained military-to-military dialogue between
the U.S. and China is designed to maximize cooperation on areas of mutual
interest while candidly addressing and managing disagreements.
Harris will be
accompanied by his wife who studied in Shanghai as a Cox Scholar in the 1980s.
Harris last
visited China in April 2014 as the U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, where he helped
lead the U.S. Navy delegation that approved the Code for Unplanned Encounters
at Sea (CUES) during the Western Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao.
USPACOM leads
all U.S. joint military forces in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, a region covering more
than half the Earth. USPACOM military forces
regularly conduct exercises and exchanges with foreign forces to build trust,
enhance transparency, improve interoperability, mitigate risks, and support
regional stability, security and prosperity.
Visit USPACOM’s
official web and social media sites for more information:
www.pacom.mil www.facebook.com/pacific.command www.youtube.com/USPacificCommand
www.twitter.com/PacificCommand
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Points of Contact:
Maj. Dave Eastburn or Capt. Cody Chiles
publicaffairs.pacom@navy.mil
808-477-1341, 808-228-3934