Pacific nations enhance airpower cooperation

  • Published
  • By Thirteenth Air Force Public Affairs
JAKARTA, Indonesia --  Forty-nine participates from 19 nations met in Jakarta during the Pacific Rim (PACRIM) Airpower Symposium Sept. 4-8. The symposium endeavored to build and enhance cooperation among the air forces of Pacific nations. Co-hosted by the Indonesian Air Force and U.S. Pacific Air Forces' Kenney Headquarters, this year's event included the most participating nations since the series was instituted more than 10 years ago.
Represented in the four-day symposium were delegations from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the United States. 

Symposium briefings and discussions included presentations from participating nations that allowed representatives to discuss their air force's unique circumstances, capabilities and challenges. The discussions lay the foundation for further meetings at a higher level and will also provide a venue to build upon through a range of activities, from participating in bilateral and multilateral exercises as observers or force providers to conducting full-spectrum operations, from Humanitarian Relief and Disaster Response to combating terrorism. 

Through such exchanges the air forces of the Asia-Pacific region can better work together toward mutually beneficial goals. 

Leading the U.S. delegation, Maj. Gen. Edward A. Rice, Jr., Kenney Headquarters commander said, "The PACRIM Airpower Symposium provides a great opportunity for us to interface with many of the nations we work with in peacetime and will want to work with during contingency operations. It provides a forum to discuss issues of mutual concern and interest to air forces of the Pacific Rim nations. We are engaged and will continue to be engaged in the Pacific."