Pacific Partnership

Pacific Partnership is an annual deployment of forces from the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy (USN), in cooperation with regional governments and military forces, along with humanitarian and non-government organizations.

The deployment was conceived following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, as a way to improve the interoperability of the region's military forces, governments, and humanitarian organisations during disaster relief operations, while providing humanitarian, medical, dental, and engineering assistance to nations of the Pacific, and strengthening relationships and security ties between the nations.

The deployment is typically based around an amphibious warfare vessel or hospital ship of the USN's Pacific Fleet. Other nations regularly contribute to the deployment; the Australian Defence Force has provided assets since the first deployment in 2006, and seven nations, along with other branches of the United States Armed Forces, US government agencies, and non-government organizations, were involved in Pacific Partnership 2011.

History
Following Operation Unified Endeavour, the United States response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, the United States Navy saw the opportunity to build on the goodwill created by this operation, and conceived an annual deployment to the region. The aim of this deployment, Pacific Partnership, was to improve the interoperability of the region's military forces, governments, and humanitarian organisations during disaster relief operations, while providing humanitarian, medical, dental, and engineering assistance to nations of the Pacific, and strengthening relationships and security ties between the nations. The first such deployment was conducted in 2006, based aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy, and included partner nations such as Australia (which has contributed consistently since), and non-government organizations. The deployment visited the Philippines, Bangladesh, Indonesia, West Timor, and East Timor.

In 2007, the Pacific Fleet prepared another deployment, this time based aboard the amphibious warfare ship USS Peleliu (LHA-5). Nations visited included the Philippines, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Marshall Islands. 2008 saw USNS Mercy visit the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. During Pacific Partnership 2008, over 90,000 patients were treated, including 14,000 dental patients and 1,300 surgery patients. The flagship for the 2009 deployment was the dry cargo ship USNS Richard E. Bird, which visited the Oceanic nations of Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, and Tonga.

Pacific Partnership returned to USNS Mercy in 2010, visiting Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste. Mercy was supported at different times by ships from Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia. In addition to Mercy's operations, two separate deployments were made under Pacific Partnership 2010: the command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) to Palau, and the heavy lift ship HMAS Tobruk (L 50) to Papua New Guinea.

The 2011 deployment, which started on 21 March and ends on 4 August, is centered on the amphibious warfare ship USS Cleveland (LPD-7). In addition to USN personnel, resources deployed include personnel and equipment from other branches of the United States Armed Forces, government agencies, non-government organizations, and the militaries of Canada, Singapore, and Spain; ships from the United States Coast Guard, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan; and a helicopter team from France. In addition to carrying out medical and engineering infrastructure projects in Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and the Federated States of Micronesia, the operation aims to implement sustainability projects in these nations. In the first three ports, 21,000 patients were treated, thousands of contact hours of formal Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) were completed, and classrooms and a water catchment system were built. The total cost of the 2011 mission is reportedly $20 million or almost $4 million for each port of call.

Between 2006 and 2010, Pacific Partnership has visited 13 countries, treated more than 300,000 patients, and built over 130 engineering projects.