An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | Sept. 21, 2023

Koa Moana Marines Host Puma Training for Palau Maritime Law Enforcement

By Staff Sgt. Courtney White, 1st Marine Logistics Group

U.S. Marines with Task Force Koa Moana 23 concluded the Task Force Koa Moana RQ-20B Puma Training Course with a graduation ceremony at the Palau Joint Operations Center, Bureau of Maritime Security and Fish & Wildlife Protection, Koror, Palau, Sept. 14, 2023.

The three-week Marine-led course taught 11 Palauan Maritime Law Enforcement Officers how to use the RQ-20B Puma drone, which is an unmanned aircraft system used for surveillance and intelligence gathering.

“Originally, we were going to just teach them how to fly the Puma,” said Staff Sgt. Alex Lane, a native of Rockford, Illinois and the course supervisor. “But, we turned it into a train-the-trainer; we train the Palauans and then they teach their fellow Palauans how to accurately operate the drone during their operations at sea and also here in their homeland of Palau.”

According to Lane, the students learned how to deal with maintenance issues as well as how to fly, launch and land the Puma.

“They were five-day instructional weeks, where we would be doing one to two days of classroom work,” said Lane. “The third day would be us flying it at the pier on land, and then the following two days would be us flying it off the boat. We would take it about a mile out and they are able to practice while the boats are moving, so they can get used to how they would normally use it in a maritime domain.”

The Palauan Maritime Law Enforcement Officers have had RQ-20B Pumas for approximately two years, but within the first year, they lost a majority of their operators to other job capacities and have not had anyone trained to fly them recently.

“We came out here and they had operators who had no knowledge and no experience,” said Lane. “Within just five days, they were full-fledged operators. The next week they were teaching us as the instructors to see where their knowledge was at. Then the next week, they were teaching their fellow Palauans. For individuals who had no knowledge of how to fly a drone, they picked it up so fast. I was extremely impressed with them.”

The goal of the course is to enable the officers to use the Puma system on every single operation that they will embark on.

“They will be using it for search and rescue operations and as a deterrent for suspicious vessels,” said Lane. “They can fly it near them and it will be like ‘hey, this is Palau, you can’t come into our water.’ It is also the same for illegal, unregulated or unreported fishing. It will be a better reconnaissance and surveillance asset for them. They will be able to see these wrong doings and be able to get a clear picture of it and more information to relay to the nation of Palau. It makes everyone’s job easier.”

According to the Marine instructors, the students picked up on the skills quickly and were able to proficiently conduct operations.

“I think it went extremely well; we learned so much about these new technologies that we didn’t have and I think it will be very useful for us to use and utilize during our trips and for surveillance,” said Monique Hideo, a Police Officer 2 at the Palau Division of Maritime Security. “The Marines have so much knowledge about drones. It was a great experience to learn under people who really know their stuff. The Marines were amazing at making us feel confident. I would say if they weren’t there to teach us, we would be less likely to be confident behind the controller.”

During the training, the students would be designated as a mission operator or as a vehicle operator and would have practical application exercises.

“I would say the best part was actually having the drones in the air,” said Hideo. “You could just imagine all the good things it could do when an emergency actually happens, because all of these features would be so helpful.”

CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
Twitter
355,462
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Hosts Brunei for Bilateral Defense Agreement
Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Sklenka, deputy commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, hosted Dato Alirupendi, permanent secretary ministry of defense, State of Brunei Darussalam, at USINDOPACOM headquarters on Dec. 7, 2023, for the 16th joint defence working committee and the signing of the Section 505 Agreement. The bilateral engagement further builds upon the cooperation and interoperability between the two countries, codifies the exchange of diplomatic notes and assets, and demonstrates USINDOPACOM’s commitment to its Allies and partners to help ensure a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Austin Riel)
Dec. 8, 2023 - CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii – Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Sklenka, deputy commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, hosted Dato Alirupendi, permanent secretary ministry of defence, State of Brunei Darussalam, at USINDOPACOM headquarters on...

International observers in multinational harmony at Operation Christmas Drop 2023
Republic of Korea Air Force Staff Sgt. Namseok Jeong, 259th Squadron rigger, participates in an Operation Christmas Drop 2023 (OCD 23) international forces bundle rigging event, Dec. 5, 2023, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The International Observer Program for OCD 23 featured forces from Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Interoperability and teamwork with our partner nations ensures we collectively remain ready for whenever and wherever the next disaster strikes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Taylor Altier)
Dec. 8, 2023 - Operation Christmas Drop 2023 has officially transcended its annual mission of spreading Christmas joy through humanitarian airdrop. What began as a humble charitable initiative has evolved into a multinational effort,...

U.S. Coast Guard conducts security boarding at Port of Guam, bolstering maritime security
A U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boarding Team, a key component of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, conducts a thorough security boarding of the 380-foot (116-meter) motor vessel Papa Mau, flagged from Antigua Barbuda, at the Port of Guam on Dec. 6, 2023. This general cargo vessel, arriving from Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), was meticulously inspected upon reaching Guam and found to be in full compliance. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. Brian Maffucci)
Dec. 8, 2023 - The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Boarding Team, a key component of U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, conducted a thorough security boarding of the 380-foot (116-meter) motor vessel Papa Mau, flagged from Antigua...

Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office to Host Hackathon in Hawaii
Dec. 7, 2023 - The Office of the Secretary of Defense Chief Digital and AI Office, Defense Innovation Unit, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Army Pacific Command and the U.S. Air Force will host a multi-classification hackathon open to all...

Dongducheon/Casey host second cooperation council engagement
South Korea - Dongducheon City Mayor Park Hyeon-deok and United States Army Garrison (USAG) Yongsan-Casey Commander Col. Lloyd Brown co-chaired the second Korean-American Cooperation Council hosted at Dongducheon City Hall, Dec. 6. The goal of the Dongducheon/USAG Yongsan-Casey council is to promote cultural exchanges, cooperation and generate mutual understanding between both communities, together with the U.S. Forces Korea and 8th Army guidance to help strengthen partnerships. (Photo Courtesy by Dongducheon City)
Dec. 7, 2023 - Dongducheon City Mayor Park Hyeon-deok and United States Army Garrison (USAG) Yongsan-Casey Commander Col. Loyd Brown co-chaired the second Korean-American Cooperation Council (KACC) hosted at Dongducheon City Hall, Dec. 6...