Pacific Partnership 2026 conducts dive & salvage ops in Palau

Navy Diver 1st Class Gabe Gaona, right, and Navy Diver 2nd Class Mark Obymachow, both assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 9, place chain Yokohama fenders on abandoned derelict vessel Palau Justice during a Pacific Partnership 2026 salvage operation to remove abandoned derelict vessel “Justice 1” from Koror, Palau, Aug. 29, 2026. Now in its 22nd iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the region. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval)