JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- Safety is a unifying, borderless and meaningful venture for everyone,” stated U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Andrew Mueller, chief of safety, during his opening remarks at U.S. Pacific Command’s annual Asia-Pacific Aviation Safety Subject Matter Expert Exchange (APASS) in Sydney, Australia.

APASS creates a forum for discussing a wide range of aviation safety issues, sharing aviation safety concepts, tools, and techniques; and facilitates trust, cooperation and interoperability in an effort to improve aviation safety standards amongst Indo-Asia-Pacific nations.

This year’s APASS was the largest and most diverse to date with 51 participants representing Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and the United States.

During the four-day exchange, participants focused on implementing mishap recommendations which is critical to preventing the reoccurrence of mishaps.

PACAF professionals, along with experts from the Australian Directorate of Defence Aviation and Air Force Safety (DDAAFS) facilitated dialogue, where attendees briefed mishaps from their respective Air Forces and highlighted recommendations successfully implemented into their respective safety management systems.

In addition, group discussions of case studies provided an opportunity for participants to share techniques for writing effective safety recommendations.

Key attendees included U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Andrew Mueller, Chief of Safety and Air Commodore James Hood, Director General for the Defence Aviation Safety Authority.

Key note addresses were given by Greg Hood, Chief Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and RAAF Group Captain Rob Lee, PhD., an internationally renowned consultant on human factors, safety investigation , risk management and systems safety in aviation, rail, nuclear power and health care.

The 2017 APASS participants lauded this year’s APASS as the most successful to date and have pledged their commitment to advancing aviation safety efforts in their countries.

APASS 2018 will be held in Honolulu, Hawaii.