U.S. Pacific Command co-hosted the Pacific Operational Science and Technology (S&T) Conference and Expo in Honolulu August 26, bringing together Asia-Pacific’s foremost experts in science, technology and security.

“This conference has proven to be a great venue to understand operational issues and challenges in the region, and for technology providers to recommend solutions to these challenges,” said Greg Vandiver, the Science and Technology Advisor to U.S. Pacific Command.

With the advances made every day on everything from computers to weapons and aeronautics to medicine, it is important to remain engaged.

“As you look at the great force we’ve built today, and it is a magnificent force, we should not apologize for it, it is unbelievable, and many of our allies and our partners have unbelievable capabilities that have been put into place,” said Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command. “But they can’t remain stagnant, and they have to be able to be morphed to be credible in the next 25, 30 years.”

The theme for this year’s conference is ‘S&T opportunities to strengthen relationships in the Asia-Pacific region.’ This theme highlights the importance of working together, through collaboration and sharing of information and technology to solve regional challenges.

“Science and Technology is often one of the initial opportunities that we have to engage with our allies and partners in the Pacific Region and come to establish solid relationships,” said Vandiver.

Discussion topics ranged from transnational threats and maritime security to our allies’ and partners’ perspective on what is going on throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

Locklear noted that as the population of the world grows and people become more interconnected, “one single country can’t be the guarantor of security for the world. We just can’t do it. Nobody can do it. So it’s in everyone’s best interest to share technologies, to share information, to work together to build things together that make sense so we can cut down our unit costs and improve our interoperability.”

The Pacific Operational Science and Technology Conference and Expo is one example of how the US can come together with allies and partners to plan how to lower costs and increase interoperability.