Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Ethan Lambert | APIA, Samoa (Oct. 31, 2025) – The Pacific Partnership 2025 Band performs the...... read more read more
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APIA, Samoa — Pacific Partnership 2025, embarked aboard the Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base USS John L. Canley (ESB 6), arrived in Apia, Samoa, Oct. 21, 2025, to continue the largest annual multinational humanitarian and civic assistance mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific region.
“It’s truly an honor for our mission to bring Pacific Partnership to Samoa, where our service members can work alongside Samoan professionals and communities to build lasting relationships,” said Capt. Mark B. Stefanik, mission commander for Pacific Partnership 2025. “The ties between our nations run deep, and this mission is an opportunity to strengthen them through collaboration, compassion, and shared purpose.”
Pacific Partnership 2025 brings together partner nations, non-governmental organizations, and host nation agencies to strengthen relationships, enhance disaster response capabilities, and improve regional cooperation through medical exchanges, engineering projects, and community engagements.
“The part of Pacific Partnership that I am most proud to share with family and community here in Samoa is the opportunity to serve the people of the Pasefika in ways I never thought would have been possible,” said Lt. Adam Amosa-Tagovailoa. “Being able to give back to my Pasefika people has instilled a sense of pride, compassion, and true service to community.” Professionally, I am looking forward to the disaster management full-scale exercise that will bring together Samoa’s Disaster Management Office, the U.S. Navy, the New Zealand Defence Force, the French Navy, and many other partner nation assets. Serving alongside both U.S. and Samoan people has been a surreal experience that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
Samoa’s participation in Pacific Partnership highlights the nation’s commitment to regional preparedness and underscores the importance of protecting communities from natural and man-made disasters.
Key mission activities in Samoa include repairs to local water and sanitation systems, infectious disease and neonatal care training, community health fairs, and an oil spill disaster response exercise conducted with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Samoa Police. Host nation outreach will feature concerts, school visits, and partnerships with local NGOs and universities to strengthen people-to-people ties.
For Cmdr. Angelita S. Kisena, returning to Samoa with Pacific Partnership 2025 is far more than another deployment - it’s a homecoming of the heart. As the Medical Lead for Samoa and Senior Nurse for the mission, she now walks the same villages her parents once called home, merging a 27-year Navy career with her Samoan heritage.
“Though I wasn’t born here, my parents raised me in our language, culture, and traditions,” said Kisena. “To return in uniform, not as a visitor but as a servant, is an incredible blessing. Pacific Partnership 2025 is my full-circle journey - tautua ma le alofa - a chance to serve with love and gratitude on the land that shaped my family’s heart and my own purpose.”
Pacific Partnership fosters multilateral cooperation and emphasizes a whole-of-government approach by planning and executing operations with partner nation militaries, host nation agencies, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. The mission’s cooperative engagements provide a strong foundation of trust and enhance the collective ability to respond effectively in times of crisis.
Pacific Partnership began in 2006 following the U.S. military’s humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Now in its 21st iteration, the mission continues to strengthen relationships, enhance regional resilience, and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2025 21:35 |
| Story ID: | 550726 |
| Location: | WS |
| Web Views: | 9 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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