U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo hosted the 7th Multilateral Maritime Virtual Key Leadership Engagement from the Pacific Fleet Headquarters in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Nov. 21, 2022.

Representatives from 16 nations participated in the engagement, including 5 heads of navies from countries in the Indian Ocean, Northeast Asia, Oceania and Southeast Asia regions. Chile participated in the forum for the first time, highlighting their role and responsibilities as a Pacific nation.

The leaders focused on maritime domain awareness (MDA) and providing mutual support in a post-pandemic world. MDA is the effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment.

The leaders discussed the increasing dynamic and complex environment threatening safe, secure and sustainable seas. They committed to strengthening partnerships at sea through enhanced cooperation, exercises, exchanges and information sharing against common challenges such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, transnational crime, and climate change.

The leaders extended condolence to the people of Indonesia for the loss of lives from the recent earthquake.

They also stressed the importance of profound partnerships in support of the sovereignty of all nations, regardless of their size, the provision of humanitarian assistance/disaster relief, the maintenance of safety of life at sea and the execution of search and rescue missions.

The multinational maritime engagement program underscored Pacific Fleet’s commitment to strengthening enduring regional alliances and partnerships while maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific for all.