U.S. Army Pacific Deputy Command General-Homeland Affairs met with Chief of Staff of the FALINTIL-Timor-Leste Defence Force (F-FDTL) Brig Gen. José da Costa Soares during his visit to Dili, Timor-Leste in July 2026. The meeting helped to create a better shared understanding and opportunities for engagements. (Courtesy Photo)

More Details

U.S. Army Pacific Deputy Command General-Homeland Affairs met with Chief of Staff of the FALINTIL-Timor Leste Defence Force (F-FDTL) Brig Gen. José da Costa Soares during his visit to Timor--Leste in July 2026. The meeting helped to create a better shared understanding and opportunities. At the conclusion of the discussions both took a group photo.(Courtesy Photo)

More Details

The visit focused on building enduring land force relationships with the Forces for Defense of Timor-Leste while assessing opportunities to align future USARPAC activities such as Exercise DALAN BA DAME and with the priorities of Timor-Leste.

As the Indo-Pacific security environment continues to evolve, strong military-to-military relationships remain essential to promoting stability, interoperability, and mutual understanding.

A key component of the visit included consultations with the U.S. Embassy Country Team and allied diplomatic representatives from Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.

Okamura also met with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Bruce Begnell, Deputy Chief of Mission Charlette Betts, Military Group Chief Maj. Villareal, and other members of the U.S. Embassy Country Team. Together, they explored avenues to strengthen partnerships.

The visit underscored USARPAC’s commitment to building trusted partnerships, enhancing regional cooperation, and supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific through sustained engagement with allies and partners.