U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo hosted the Ninth Multilateral Maritime Virtual Key Leadership Engagement from Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2024.

Representatives from 16 nations participated in the engagement, including 10 heads of navies within Oceania, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South America and the Indian Ocean regions.

The leaders engaged in a comprehensive discussion, focusing on the challenges and opportunities of delivering humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HA/DR) to affected nations in the Indo-Pacific and how we can strengthen our response together.

They discussed prospective opportunities to develop an effective and practical disaster response system within a law and rules-based international order. They acknowledged the delivery of HA/DR by military forces has become standard practice and one of many expanding areas of military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

The leaders agreed the demand for HA/DR is highest in the Indo-Pacific, and the common challenges incentivize strong, inter-regional partnerships for HA/DR operations. They emphasized the successful disaster relief involves the sharing of resources and interoperability.

They discussed the significance of training for disaster missions, stressing the value of integrating efforts to enable operations, and building trust among collaborators.

The leaders extended condolence to the people of Japan for the loss of lives from the recent earthquake.

The multinational maritime engagement program underscored the United States’ commitment to strengthening alliances and partnerships for an enduring resilient, free and open Indo-Pacific.