Pacific Partnership 2015 Task Force Forager members and Armed Forces of the Philippines service members kicked off the PP15 mission visit here during an opening ceremony Aug. 6.

TFF, embarked aboard the Military Sealift Command joint high speed vessel USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3), arrived in San Fernando City, La Union Aug. 4, and will spend ten days conducting medical, dental, veterinary, engineering, band and community relations engagements.

Commander Naval Task Force 11, Philippines Navy Capt. Albert Mogol, explained the value of Pacific Partnership.

"Through our program trainings and exercises, we can be assured that we can be ready to plan, train and conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations in accordance with international standards," said Mogol.

TFF's medical task force, comprised of 56 professionals from 20 different disciplines, will integrate with local doctors, nurses, veterinarians and dentists to provide medical care and build joint competency through hands-on training, seminars and public outreach programs.

"The men and women of Task Force Forager look forward to engaging with the people of the Philippines, sharing common goals and exchanging customs, culture and traditions," said Commodore, TFF, Capt. James Meyer. "The long-standing alliance between the Philippines and the United States has contributed to peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region for many years and this mission will continue to strengthen our nations' partnership."

A 12-person engineering team from TFF comprised of service members from Amphibious Construction Battalion (ACB) 1, ACB-2, and the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, will join Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 and Philippine Navy Seabees, who have been working side-by-side for over a month at Eulogio Elementary School, Caba High School, and Boy-Utan Elementary School.

"We can be assured of improved interoperability for ourselves for the benefit of all involved," said Mogol. "For the duration of the mission we have organized trainings and exercises to improve our knowledge and skills. One of the most valuable projects is the construction of school buildings. Through our joint efforts we have successfully started the construction and renovation of schools."

The task force's civil affairs team will be conducting disaster preparedness training and exercises to help the country better respond in the event of a crisis.

The Army/Navy joint band under the leadership of U.S. Pacific Fleet Band will be performing at multiple locations throughout the community.

"Task Force Forager service members will also participate in numerous scheduled sporting events and community relations activities to invest in the children and youth-the future of the Philippines," said Meyer.

Millinocket and embarked TFF, led by an expeditionary command element from the Navy's 30th Naval Construction Regiment (30 NCR) from Port Hueneme, California, are currently serving as the secondary platform for PP15. The primary platform for the mission is the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19).
Now in its tenth iteration, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. While training for crisis conditions, Pacific Partnership missions to date have provided medical care to approximately 270,000 patients and veterinary services to more than 38,000 animals. Additionally, the mission has provided critical infrastructure development to host nations through the completion of more than 180 engineering projects.

Pacific Partnership 2015 supporting partners include Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Canada, Timor Leste, Fiji and France. Non-governmental organizations also participating are Project Hope, Operation Smile, Latter Day Saints Charities, University of California San Diego, University of Virginia, University of Hawaii, Project Handclasp and World Vets.