Brunswick Hosts Tawau Residents during Pacific Partnership

Photo By Grady Fontana | 180425-N-IX266-002 TAWAU, Malaysia (April 25, 2018) Adam Streeper, Chief Mate on USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6), leads a tour of the ship in Tawau, Malaysia in support of Pacific Partnership 2018 (PP18). PP18’s mission is to work 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 across the Indo-Pacific Region. Pacific Partnership, now in its 13th iteration, is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy Photo by Public Affairs Officer Grady T. Fontana)  

MALAYSIA

04.25.2018

Courtesy Story

Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific

TAWAU, Malaysia (April 25, 2018) Sailors and Civilians aboard USNS Brunswick (T-EPF 6) hosted tours for Malaysian military and civilian groups in Tawau, Malaysia, April 25.

Brunswick is currently in Tawau on a disaster relief preparedness mission in support of Pacific Partnership 2018 (PP18). While Seabees and doctors build and train ashore, Sailors provided an opportunity to 60 Malaysian Army personnel and 47 civilians to learn about the ship.

“The ship is new to the people here,” said Adam Streeper, Chief Mate for Brunswick. “We come in and they may have never seen anything quite like us. We’re here to let the public know we’re here to help, were here to support them, and come in and check out what we got.”

Brunswick is an expeditionary fast transport, built to rapidly move and deploy troops. Its speed and cargo space make it ideal for deploying aid. The tours were designed around showcasing the ship’s ability to provide relief in the case of a disaster.

The groups toured the mission deck, recreation spaces, flight deck and bridge, but the event also gave an opportunity for everyone to build invaluable connections to people they, otherwise, may never have met.
”You don’t know us, and we don’t know you, so the exchange of knowledge is important,” said Capt. Sajri Sajadah, instructor, Territorial Army Regiment 516, Malaysian Armed Forces. “Even though we are from different countries, different regions, different backgrounds, we can still communicate, work together and improve.”

This exchange was a two-way street. Exposure to each other’s people helped build bridges of trust that both countries will use in the future.

“Someone’s understanding of who Americans are could be completely switched around just because of our attitude or the way we open ourselves up,” said Streeper. “Through a tour we can show to our partners that we are, as a country, as Americans, great people.”

PP18’s mission is to work 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 across the Indo-Pacific Region. Pacific Partnership, now in its 13th iteration, is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific.

• Date Taken: 04.25.2018
• Date Posted: 04.25.2018 10:58
• Story ID: 274413
• Location: MY