SAN DIEGO -- Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet (C3F) hosted Three Party Staff Talks (TPST) at C3F headquarters July 23-24.
Vice Adm. John D. Alexander, C3F; Vice Adm. Linda Fagan, U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area commander (PACAREA); Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Bob Auchterlonie, commander, Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC); and members of their respective staffs attended TPST where they discussed the importance of cooperation, coordination, and partnerships.
TPST enables C3F, PACAREA and MARPAC staffs to discuss the current security environment in the region, as well as opportunities to work and train together.
"The staff talks allow us to meet face to face to discuss the current maritime security environment, future challenges, and how we can continue to work and grow together," said Alexander. “These meetings help us improve our communication and coordination, making us an even stronger and more effective team than we already are.”
The talks featured working groups that focused on maritime homeland security and defense, command, control, communications, and joint exercises. Participants discussed how to enhance relationships between the three partners, closing gaps in maritime homeland security and defense, and strengthening planning processes.
“We routinely operate with both the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard across a wide spectrum of operations,” said Auchterlonie. “These talks serve to make us more efficient and effective through closer coordination and to continue building on our long-standing partnership.”
Other topics of discussion included humanitarian assistance/disaster relief (HA/DR), fleet training, and missile defense exercises.
“Whether it’s combating criminal activity by international drug cartels in the eastern pacific, or strengthening maritime governance and the rule of law to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific, we rely on our Navy and Canadian partners to maximize success,” said Fagan. “These important talks improve interoperability and coordination across our sea services, allowing us to more effectively secure our countries’ shared maritime safety, security, and economic interests.”
MARPAC is responsible for maintaining multi-purpose, combat-capable maritime forces to conduct operations in Canadian waters and in support of national objectives primarily in the Pacific Rim Region but also anywhere in the world.
PACAREA is the Coast Guard's regional command element and force provider for maritime safety, security, and stewardship in the Pacific from the U.S. Western States to Asia, and from the Arctic to Antarctica.
U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary for an effective global Navy. U.S. 3rd Fleet works constantly with U.S. 7th Fleet to complement one another and provide commanders capable, ready assets across the spectrum of military operations in the Pacific.
For more news from Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/c3f/.