HONOLULU -- Leaders from the New Zealand Defence Force participated in the Amphibious Leadership Symposium, or PALS, along with 22 militaries from around the Indo-Pacific region in Honolulu, Hawaii, May 21-24, 2018.
The purpose of PALS is to bring together senior leaders of militaries in the Indo-Pacific region in order to build working relationships, promote peace and stability in the region, and exchange knowledge and tactics.
“The Pacific is a really big area, we often come together in different combinations and different times and spaces when we need to work closely together, and so we need to understand each other before we get to that point,” said New Zealand Air Commodore Andrew Clark, air component commander, New Zealand Defence Force. “In amphibious operations, because it is a difficult area, no one has all the answers. And so to be able to get leaders together to discuss where different people are, that really benefits everybody.”
The symposium allows military services from around the world to work together to build upon already established military-to-military relationships and discuss key aspects of amphibious operations, development, crises response and logistics.
"We're sharing ideas with 22 [militaries], you can bet that somebody is trying something new,” said U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. David H. Berger, commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific. "So you can accelerate your learning, you can build your readiness if you are humble enough to accept ideas from other people and other countries who are on the same path as you are and that's the whole purpose of this."
Clark and Berger both recognize the importance of taking the initiative and participating in events like PALS to further amphibious capabilities and international relationships.
“I’d really like to thank Lieutenant General Berger and the U.S. Marine Corps for taking the initiative to organize PALS and to bring everyone here,” Clark said. “It’s a great initiative and I think everyone will benefit hugely from the work that’s being done.”