Asia-Pacific Nations Endeavor to Improve Communications

More than a dozen countries from throughout Asia-Pacific will be represented when Pacific Endeavor, a workshop designed to allow opportunities for the testing of compatibility and interoperability of military communications and information systems, begins Aug. 10 on Hawaii's Big Island.

For two weeks, the representatives will be working together in coordination with the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) to assess communications equipment, discuss issues and technologies, test communications capabilities and conduct a tabletop exercise to test communications procedures.

Pacific Endeavor is sponsored by the Multinational Communications Interoperability Program (MCIP), which is designed to support multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations by developing communications interoperability between partner nations.

An October 2008 article in Signal Magazine highlighting the importance of information sharing includes an explanation of MCIP and how it serves as a venue for developing the communications chapter of the Multinational Forces Standing Operations Procedures (MNF SOP).

This is the third Pacific Endeavor workshop, with the first taking place in 2005.

The workshop will continue through Aug. 21.

In addition to the U.S., participating countries include: Australia; Bangladesh; Indonesia; Japan; Maldives; Malaysia; Mongolia; Nepal; New Zealand; the Philippines; Singapore; South Korea; Sri Lanka; and Thailand.

Exchanges such as Pacific Endeavor, which contribute to building both capabilities and relationships that could prove critical during future humanitarian assistance efforts, are a key component of the U.S. Pacific Command Strategy.