Pacific Partnership 2011 Advanced Echelon Team Making Final Preparations in Vanuatu

Photo By Chief Petty Officer Michael Russell | Maritime civil affairs officer Lt.j.g. Ron Kolpack, part of the advanced echelon team for Pacific Partnership 2011 talks to locals in the Fanafo village about a future medical civil action project that will take place later this month. During the MEDCAP, patients will receive family, pediatrics, dental and optometry care. Pacific Partnership is a humanitarian assistance initiative, which promotes cooperation throughout the Pacific, which will visit five island nations this summer: Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and the Federated States of Micronesia.  

ESPIRITU SANTO, VANUATU

04.18.2011

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Russell 

U.S. Navy           

ESPIRITU SANTO, Vanuatu – The Pacific Partnership 2011 advanced echelon (ADVON) team arrived in Espiritu Santo, March 27, to make preparations for the arrival of amphibious transport dock ship USS Cleveland (LPD 7) April 28.

The ADVON team plays an essential role for Pacific Partnership and began making preparations for Vanuatu last year.

“In November, we came to Port Vila for the pre-deployment site survey,” said Lt. Cmdr. Casey Mahon, the officer-in-charge of the Pacific Partnership 2011 ADVON team. “We met with a number of directors general, including the Minister of Health, Minister of Education, Minister of Internal Affairs as well as senior staff and high commission planning staff.”

The ADVON team met with local doctors, teachers, radio hosts, town officials and others to determine the best way to provide services around the island.

Arriving thirty days before the main body of the Pacific Partnership team, the ADVON team began interacting with the local population and local forces that would be involved in finalizing all the details of the plan.

“Once we arrived in Santo, we met with the Secretary General of Santo, Joel Path, who is the senior civil servant of Sanma Province and is also the mission Co-Commander,” said Mahon. “He has been the number-one person working alongside us. We also had a chance to meet with the Commissioner of Luganville, who is the equivalent of a mayor.”

LT.j.g. Ken Garcia is the ADVON Engineer for Vanuatu and is responsible for the engineering projects around the island.

“I arrived prior to the Seabees to make sure all of the materials were delivered and the sites were ready for the Seabees to begin working, said Garcia. “We have eight schools that will be receiving water catchment systems when the ship arrives, so we spent the last few weeks meeting with the contracting officer and making sure the materials needed were on site before the ship arrives.”

Pacific Partnership is aimed at strengthening regional relationships between the U.S. and nations in the Western Pacific that might be called upon to respond to natural or man-made humanitarian disasters in the region.

“I think this is probably the best group I have ever worked with,” said Mahon. “We had roughly 30 days to mesh together, and everyone here has really been great at branching out of their area and helping out in different ways. It’s a really good team and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with these guys.”

While Pacific Partnership 2011 won’t officially begin in Vanuatu until the arrival of Cleveland, it is the effort of the people on the ADVON team who ensure the mission will be carried out as efficiently as possible.

Pacific Partnership 2011 is a humanitarian assistance initiative, which promotes cooperation throughout the Pacific. The Pacific Partnership team completed its mission in Tonga and will continue in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

• Date Taken: 04.18.2011
• Date Posted: 04.26.2011 07:33
• Story ID: 69351
• Location: ESPIRITU SANTO, VU