CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii -- United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) hosted the 2021 Pacific Environmental Security Forum (PESF) virtually Feb. 22 - 25.The PESF, launched in 2010 by USINDOPACOM, provides a unique opportunity for militaries in the Indo-Pacific region to work with their...

YOKOSUKA, Japan -- Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Vice Adm. Bill Merz hosted Adm. YAMAMURA Hiroshi, Chief of Staff, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) along with senior JMSDF leadership Feb. 22 aboard the 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19).Adm. Yamamura and his staff were ceremoniously...

CAMP Kinser, Okinawa, Japan -- During exercise Hagåtña Fury 21, Marines and Sailors with Combat Logistics Regiment 3 (CLR-3) honed expeditionary advanced base operations (EABO) and distributed maritime operations capabilities across U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), alongside elements of 3d...

WASHINGTON -- Hard times always reveal true friends, and it will also show what a strong alliance looks like. From the beginning of the COVID-19 global pandemic, U.S. Forces Korea has been working with local national agencies and organizations in South Korea to form a united front in the fight...

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III gave marching orders to the China Task Force today.The task force, led by Ely Ratner, is engaged in a sprint to identify priorities for the Defense Department with regards to the near-peer, Asian competitor, Pentagon Press Secretary John F...

YOKOSUKA, Japan -- Commander, Naval Surface Forces awarded forward-deployed, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) the 2020 Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Bloodhound Award for the Pacific Fleet, Feb. 22.The ASW Bloodhound Award is presented annually to one Pacific Fleet and...

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- A mass casualty exercise was conducted at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 10, 2021 as part of Cope North 2021. Members from the 36th Medical Group worked alongside the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, or Koku-Jieitai, Royal Australian Air Force, 624th Aerospace...

KUALA, Lumpur -- Ambassador Brian McFeeters, the new U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, arrived in Kuala Lumpur the evening of Friday, February 26, 2021. The Ambassador is pleased to be returning to Malaysia, where he previously served at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur as the Political Counselor from...

WASHINGTON -- The Defense Department has identified hypersonics as one of the highest priority modernization areas, as Russia and China develop their own capable systems.Hypersonic systems are able to travel on extended flights within the upper atmosphere — 80,000 to 200,000 feet — at speeds near...

WASHINGTON -- Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided the following readout:Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and New Zealand Minister of Defence Peeni Henare spoke today to reaffirm the enduring strength of the U.S.-New Zealand relationship.Secretary Austin and Minister Henare...