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SIBOLGA, Indonesia — Pacific Partnership 2026 wrapped up its second mission stop in Sibolga and Central Tapanuli with a closing ceremony at Simare-Mare Field on July 30, following two weeks of joint activities focused on engineering, disaster management, community outreach, and medical engagements.
About 150 U.S. service members, alongside counterparts from Australia, Canada, Germany, and Singapore, worked with the Indonesian National Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, or TNI), local experts, and civilians. “This mission has been about more than training and engagements; it has been about people,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Macswayne Muralt, the officer in charge of the Indonesia Pacific Partnership 2026 mission stop. “As an American of Indonesian-Chinese heritage, it has been a privilege to work alongside our TNI and Indonesian partners, strengthening the relationships that help our communities prepare for future challenges together.”
Engineering teams from U.S. Navy Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 5 and Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, U.S. Army soldiers from the Hawaii National Guard’s 230th Engineer Company, and TNI engineers built a two-classroom facility at National Elementary School #158309 and renovated classrooms at National Elementary School #158490. “Executing these new construction and renovation projects alongside our Army National Guard and TNI partners highlights our ability to seamlessly integrate diverse technical capabilities,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Michael Hamilton, mission engineer for PP26. “From the first block laid to the final coat of paint applied, this mission represented a unified, team effort. Missions like this reflect the core of why we serve, leaving a lasting, positive impact on a community while strengthening our operational bonds.”
Disaster management specialists ran a five-day urban search-and-rescue vertical lane and patient evacuation course at Sibolga Naval Base, a two-day disaster planning session at the mayor’s office, and a two-day field exercise at Pandan General Hospital. The final drill simulated a hospital fire and a ship collision, with scenarios including a building collapse, mass-casualty response, water rescue, and casualty evacuation. “It was a great experience to work with our TNI counterparts and Indonesia’s national-level first responders,” said U.S. Army Capt. Nathanael Wrye, PP26 disaster management line of effort lead for the Indonesia stop. “These evolutions allowed us all to explore the individual capabilities of TNI and first responders to react to specific scenarios that can occur during disasters and increase our collective ability to develop plans and strategic outlook.”
Community events featured performances by the Pacific Partnership Band at schools and public venues. “Music connects people instantly. It cuts across language and culture in a way nothing else does. The students were the highlight of this mission stop, hands down,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Joel Thiesfeldt, Pacific Partnership band master. “When kids who don’t speak your language are singing and dancing along with you, that’s cultural outreach doing exactly what it’s supposed to do: bringing our nations closer together.”
Medical personnel completed 79 engagements, including seven veterinary exchanges, seven community health events, and 65 subject matter exchanges spanning nursing, dental care, midwifery, general surgery, emergency and internal medicine, and ophthalmology. “We had great collaborative engagements with our host and partner nations in subject matter exchanges and side-by-sides,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Squires, PP26 medical line of effort lead for the Indonesia mission stop. “The opportunity to share and exchange knowledge from our specialists to the community of health professionals is a truly rewarding experience. I realized working here that health is a universal language. No matter what culture, religion, language, or place we come from, our shared experiences broke down barriers and we found common ground in finding different solutions for similar challenges.”
With the Sibolga stop complete, personnel prepared to embark on the Royal Australian Navy landing ship dock HMAS Choules (L100) to continue the mission elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific. Now in its 22nd year, Pacific Partnership is the region’s largest recurring multinational effort dedicated to humanitarian assistance and disaster preparedness, working with host and partner nations to improve interoperability, bolster response capabilities, and strengthen regional stability and relationships.
