Humanitarian Assistance / Disaster Relief (HADR)
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Global Commons
‘Komcad’ reserve force augments Indonesia’s military capabilities
Gusty Da Costa A reserve unit is helping the Indonesian National Armed Forces’ (TNI) active-duty troops address conventional and unconventional threats. The Komponen Cadangan, or “Komcad,” launched in 2021. The voluntary, part-time force comprises three branches within the TNI — Land Reserve, Sea Reserve and Air Reserve — and has more than 9,000 personnel. Komcad embodies the overall defense strategy…
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Global Commons
Blue Pacific group oversees regional disaster recovery, humanitarian efforts
FORUM Staff In a sprawling Pacific Ocean region prone to natural disasters, a new multinational response team is streamlining recovery assistance to island nations and territories. Australia’s influential role, meanwhile, enhances its position as the Blue Pacific nations’ primary security collaborator. The Pacific Response Group (PRG) enables far-flung states to help each other with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Recovery…
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Global Commons
Philippine-U.S. cooperation supports humanitarian relief amid destructive typhoon season
FORUM Staff The Philippines-United States Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which enables the countries to train together, respond to humanitarian crises and achieve modernization goals, helped Manila prepare for and respond to a series of typhoons in late 2024. As U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced an additional $1 million in relief aid for the Philippines in November, Philippine President…
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Global Commons
Indonesian Navy’s goodwill mission strengthens ties with South Pacific nations
Gusty Da Costa Indonesia has embarked on a diplomatic initiative to bolster relations with South Pacific island nations with the launch of a 48-day naval goodwill voyage. The hospital ship KRI Dr. Wahidin Sudirohusodo-991, a key component of the Indonesian Navy, set sail in early October 2024 for Fiji, Papua New Guinea (PNG), the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The deployment…
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Partnerships
Multinational exercises in Philippines: ‘Partnerships that allow us to maintain peace and stability’
FORUM Staff Philippine and United States forces, joined by participants from six nations, conducted near-simultaneous military exercises in and around the Philippines in October 2024. Exercise Sama Sama, a Filipino phrase meaning togetherness, expanded in its eighth iteration to include training on shore and in waters off the northern Philippines, building on a legacy of Philippine-U.S. maritime collaboration. Part of…
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Global Commons
Philippine, U.S. forces combine for HADR mission for typhoon victims
FORUM Staff The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States Marine Corps responded with humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) after Typhoon Krathon made landfall in the Philippines in late September 2024, slamming four northern regions with nearly 70 centimeters of rain and sustained winds of 190 kilometers per hour. The typhoon, called Julian in the Philippines,…
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Global Commons
Indonesia and Thailand expand defense ties, focus on space, cyber, joint exercises
Gusty Da Costa Indonesian and Thai Air Forces are enhancing their defense cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, focusing on space and cyber defense, joint exercises, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). During a recent visit to Thailand, Indonesian Air Force Chief of Staff Air Marshal Tonny Harjono met with Royal Thai Air Force Commander Air Chief Marshal Punpakdee Pattanakul to…
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Global Commons
Southeast Asia prepared to cope with natural disasters, survey shows
Voice of America Southeast Asia is among the world’s most disaster-prone regions, but a recent analysis shows its residents feel among the best equipped to deal with natural calamities. The survey by Gallup for the Lloyd’s Register Foundation found the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has played a key role in disaster risk reduction, with the regional approach including…
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Conflicts - Tensions
U.S.-led coalition preserves maritime security in Red Sea
FORUM Staff Houthi rebels in Yemen have indiscriminately attacked more than 70 vessels in the Red Sea since October 2023, disrupting an estimated $1 trillion in commerce on shipping lanes crucial to Asia, Europe and the Middle East. A United States-led coalition tasked with preserving maritime security in the region has repeatedly intercepted the missiles and drones targeting vessels. The…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Logistics, medical, HADR key components of RIMPAC 2024
FORUM Staff Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world’s largest international maritime exercise with more than 40 ships and 25,000 personnel from 29 nations, includes its biggest humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) drill in 2024, plus symposiums on logistics and medicine. The HADR portion included 2,500 participants from nine nations — Canada, Chile, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, South…
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