The sixth Pacific Partnership 2019 (PP19) mission held the closing ceremony in Vietnam’s central province of Phu Yen on May 17, marking a decade that Pacific Partnership has been invited to Vietnam, the US embassy said in a statement.
U.S. Navy Lt. Jeffrey Birch helps a student from Phu Yen Inclusive Development Center paint a statue during a culture exchange program. Photo: PP
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Medical personnel from the US, Peru, and South Korea worked side-by-side at Phu Yen General Hospital and several clinics. Significant knowledge exchanges, that increase our collective capacity between partner nations, included topics such as pharmaceutical care, nursing, nutrition, infection control, blood and physical therapy.
Pacific Partnership began in response to one of the world’s most catastrophic natural disasters, the December 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of South and Southeast Asia. The mission has evolved over the years from emphasis on direct care to an operation focused on enhancing partnerships through host nation subject matter expert and civil-military exchanges.
The US Army, US Navy and US Coast Guard also worked alongside local Vietnamese government organizations conducting HADR seminars.
“Pacific Partnership acknowledges the complexity of disaster response operations and the leading part civilian organizations have,” said US Army Sgt. 1st Class Gavin McBean, HADR team lead. “Working alongside the organizations has enabled the HADR team to learn from our partner nations, and given us the opportunity to build relationships.”
Pacific Partnership, now in its 14th iteration, is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Each year, the mission team works collectively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase stability and security in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific.
