Samoan first responders pull simulated casualties out of the water during a disaster-relief exercise in the island nation in late October 2025. The training was part of the annual U.S. Navy-led Pacific Partnership humanitarian mission. (Dana Millington/Australian Defence Department)
American sailors and personnel from nine other nations recently wrapped up a two-week exercise in the South Pacific island nation of Samoa as part of an annual U.S. Navy humanitarian mission.
The sailors, along with personnel from Samoa, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and the United Kingdom, rehearsed a mass rescue in the islands, according to an Australian Defence Department news release Wednesday.
Samoa is vulnerable to extreme weather, and the drill sought to improve disaster readiness and the ability of South Pacific nations to work together, the release said.
Five to nine named tropical cyclones could occur in the Southwest Pacific between this month and April, New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research reported Oct. 8.
The expeditionary sea base USS John L. Canley arrived in Samoa on Oct. 21, the Samoan News Hub website reported Wednesday.
The commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Adm. Steve Koehler, attended Friday’s closing ceremony for the exercise aboard the French patrol vessel Auguste Bénébig docked at Apia, the Samoan capital, according to the report.
The Navy’s work in Samoa was part of Pacific Partnership, an annual deployment conceived after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that involves port calls in developing nations throughout the region.
This year’s mission, involving more than 1,500 personnel, included stops in Papua New Guinea, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Philippines, Fiji, and Tonga, according to a July 9 Navy news release.
The dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor began its Pacific Partnership voyage on July 8 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.
The operation, led by the commander of Destroyer Squadron 31, Capt. Mark Stefanik, is focused on engineering, disaster management and medical support, according to the Navy release.
“This enduring mission provides us the opportunity to build on our relationships, share expertise, and learn from one another,” he said in the release. “Our shared experiences help create more resilient communities, and I’m proud to lead a team committed to strengthening partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.”
