The U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet is committed to continuing its numerous engagements in the region and cooperation with regional partners to keep the Indo-Pacific secure and ensure deterrence, its commander said during the International Maritime Security Conference 2025 Wednesday.
“At PACFLEET, I am committed to continuing to build mutually beneficial alliances and partnerships, to uphold these ideals and deter those that don’t share the same common goals, by doing this together, we enable stable, secure environments from which we can all thrive,” Adm. Steve Koehler said in his opening statement.
Koehler pointed to the numerous multilateral and bilateral engagements the U.S. conducts with partners and allies in the region, along with security and enforcement efforts such as Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka supporting multinational ships in conducting patrols against sanctions evasion by North Korea, Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) in the South Pacific and the multinational Maritime Cooperative Activity around the Philippines as examples of U.S. engagement and commitment to the region.
“We have shown and will continue to operate with our allies and partners in the region, and I don’t see that there will be any change or loss of focus in that,” Koehler said, adding that the U.S. Navy was open to any engagement or exercise that will improve interoperability.
Planning and activities continue as normal on the military side for the AUKUS submarine agreement and the informal Quad pact between Australia, India, Japan and the U.S.
Koehler joined Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy Adm. Zulhemy Ithnain, Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy Rear Adm. Garin Golding and Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Adm. Kanchana Banagoda for the panel about collaboration between countries.
The four naval leaders stressed the need for navies to work together because no one country can effectively ensure security alone. Golding pointed out to the People’s Liberation Army Navy conducting firing activities in the Tasman Sea in February as an example of an action that reduced trust, saying that while there were no issues with the PLAN sailing in those waters, the late notification and the live fire drills happening in an area of high commercial air traffic between Australia and New Zealand were concerning.
Both Zulhelmy and Kanchana said the military was still subjected to the political leadership and policymakers of their nation.
“In the military, it is easy for us because it is clear and concise in what we have to do, but sometimes it is dictated by our political leaders,” Zulhelmy said, citing the RMN purchase of the four Keris-class littoral mission ships from China between 2018 and 2020. The procurement likely resulted in reduced tensions over Malaysia’s and China’s contesting claims in the South China Sea compared to China’s dispute with the Philippines, he said.
Zulhelmy, who was the first commander of one of the two RMN’s Scorpene-class submarines, also stressed the importance of establishing a mechanism for deconflicting submarine operations in the region. A previous proposal for this under the multinational Western Pacific Naval Symposium has since stalled.
He also said countries need to address the issue of underwater space management, especially with countries now introducing underwater unmanned vehicles. RMN conducted its initial submarine training through France and it adopted NATO standards. RMN notifies the U.S. Navy when its submarines operate outside its normal areas.
Rear Adm. Steven Waddle, the deputy commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, said the service works with other branches to ensure the Canadian military can field unmanned systems and ones to counter drones. The availability and proliferation of technology means that groups outside of conventional military forces, such as the Houthis, could disrupt and threaten significant area.
Leitender Polizeidirektor Nils von Waaden, head of the Department for Maritime Security for the German Federal Police, highlighted the issue of shadow fleets, which transport sanctioned material. The ships are often in poor condition, posing an environmental hazard. Russian shadow fleet ships also carry out intelligence and disruption operations, such as sabotaging critical underwater infrastructure.
Multifaceted, coordinated international operations, in line with international law, by law enforcement agencies and naval forces are needed to address the issue, von Waaden said.
Adm. Saito Akira, the commander of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, said the JMSDF looks at threats posed to commercial shipping, such as by the Houthis, as well as the increased introduction and use of UUVs and their potential to threaten critical underwater infrastructure. Global warming is leading to the northern Arctic sea route becoming more viable, and the JMSDF needs to keep an eye on new competition and threats from that, he said.
Although Saito did not specifically say the nature of the threat, it likely relates to increased Chinese activity and claims in the Arctic region and the Northern Sea Route enabling Russia to transfer its naval forces in Northern Russia to the Pacific rapidly rather than sailing around the globe under observation by other navies.
The International Maritime and Defence Exhibition Asia 2025 trade show, which runs in conjunction to the maritime conference, also involved a warship display with ships docked at Changi Naval Base. Destroyer USS Dewey (DDG-105) represented the U.S.
JMSDF frigate JS Yahagi (FFM-5), Italian Navy frigate ITS Antonio Marceglia (F597) and Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey (P234) conducted a joint maneuvering exercise on May 3.
Although a JMSDF release said the exercise took place in the South China Sea, USNI News reported Monday that all three ships already docked at Changi Naval Base, indicating that the exercise took place around a sailing day away from Singapore and not around the contentious portion of the South China Sea that China claims.
The PLAN sent frigate CNS Xuchang (536) and minesweeper CNS Chishui (729) to participate in IMDEX.
It will carry out Exercise Maritime Cooperation (XMC) with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) from Friday to May 16.
This year’s XMC is the fourth in the series since its inauguration in 2015, according to a Singapore Ministry of Defense news release. The RSN will deploy frigate RSS Formidable (68) and minesweeper RSS Bedok (M105) for the exercise, according to the release.
The sea phase will take place in the southern reaches of the South China Sea within international waters, from May 14-15, and the ships will conduct a range of serials, including gunnery firing, search and rescue and medical evacuation, during that phase, according to the release.
The other ships that took part in IMDEX were Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Arunta (FFH151), RMN corvette KD Lekir (FSG-26), Indian Navy corvette INS Kiltan (P30), Indonesian Navy corvette and presidential yacht KRI Bung Karno (369) and fast attack craft KRI Kerambit (627), Royal Thai Navy (RTN) offshore patrol vessel HTMS Prachuap Khiri Khan (552), SLN offshore patrol vessel SLNS Samudura (P261) and Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) offshore patrol vessel KDB Darussalam (06).
