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SIBOLGA, Indonesia — Personnel with Pacific Partnership 2026 arrived in Sibolga on July 20 aboard the Royal Australian Navy’s Bay-class landing ship dock HMAS Choules (LSD 100), marking the second stop of the U.S. Navy-led annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster preparedness mission in the Indo-Pacific.
It is the seventh time the mission has visited Indonesia since 2006 and includes forces from Australia, Canada, Germany, and Singapore. Activities in Sibolga and the surrounding Central Tapanuli Regency are centered on preplanned engagements intended to strengthen multilateral cooperation and improve the region’s ability to respond quickly to disaster emergencies.
“Sibolga’s recent history tells a story of resilience in the face of natural disasters and reminds us that disaster preparedness is a collective endeavor to build resiliency today for what could arise tomorrow,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Robert Reyes, mission commander of PP26. “As the Indonesia mission stop prepares to commence, we celebrate the resiliency of this community and the opportunity to collaborate and exchange expertise for mutual learning.”
An opening ceremony on July 21 featured Sibolga Mayor Akhmad Syukri Nazri Penarik; Central Tapanuli Regent Masinton Pasaribu; TNI Rear Adm. Sarimpunan Tanjung, commander of Naval Sub-regional Command Two, Indonesia Fleet Command; TNI Brig. Gen. Hadi Juanda, chief of the TNI Surgeon General Office; TNI First Admiral Tjahja Nurrobi, deputy chief of the TNI Surgeon General; Rear Adm. David Buzzetti, vice chief of the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; and other senior U.S. and Indonesian officials.
“Pacific Partnership demonstrates the enduring commitment of the United States and Indonesia to strengthening regional resilience through practical cooperation,” said U.S. Embassy in Jakarta Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, Joy M. Sakurai. “Together with our Indonesian and multinational partners, we are building relationships and capabilities that improve preparedness, save lives, and promote a more secure Indo-Pacific.”
The Sibolga mission stop runs through Aug. 1 and brings mission, partner-country, and Indonesian personnel together across four lines of effort: engineering, medical, disaster management, and host nation outreach. Planned engagements include constructing new classrooms and renovating classrooms at two schoolhouses; a hands-on practical, tactical workshop to sharpen natural disaster response skills; disaster planning at two hospitals; and medical subject-matter exchanges. The Pacific Partnership band is scheduled to perform at community outreach events.
Now in its 22nd iteration, Pacific Partnership is the region’s largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission, working with host and partner nations to enhance interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase regional security and stability, and build enduring relationships across the Indo-Pacific.
