HALIFAX, Nova Scotia –
Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, visited Canada from Nov. 22-24, 2024, where he participated in the 2024 Halifax International Security Forum and met with senior military and government officials.
The forum was attended by government and military officials, academic experts and business leaders from the U.S. and Canada, Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Africa and Latin America, featuring discussions on the roles of technological innovation and regional collaboration for a resilient and adaptive security framework.
Paparo participated in two panel discussions. During the first panel, “Era of Action: Sinking CRINK (China, Russia, Iran, North Korea) Inc,” he focused on the Indo-Pacific's impact on global security and the critical role of solidarity between Allies and partners to collectively address multi-faceted challenges throughout the region. He also noted the transactional symbiosis among CRINK nations and the importance of leveraging individual relationships to impose costs.
The second panel, “Era of Integrity: AI Applications Evolve,” focused on the ethical and practical implications of AI and the importance of international standards and cybersecurity. Paparo underscored maintaining human accountability in the use of AI on the battlefield and the need to establish guardrails for AI in military applications.
While in Canada, Paparo hosted and participated in bilateral and multilateral meetings to underscore commitments to multinational engagements that showcase capabilities and increase understanding of regional challenges; demonstrate efforts to enhance coordination and information-sharing arrangements; and deepen cooperation to confront common threats and protect shared interests.
Paparo met with: Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly; U.S. senators Jeanne Shaheen and Jim Risch; Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard Adm. Linda Fagan; Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan; NATO's most senior military officer, Chair of the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Royal Netherlands Navy Adm. Rob Bauer; Australia’s Director-General of National Intelligence Andrew Shearer; and U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Arctic and Global Resilience Iris Ferguson.
The U.S. and Canada share the longest international border on the planet and our bilateral relationship is one of the closest and most extensive in the world, based on robust security and defense cooperation, mutual interests and enduring people-to-people ties.