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