Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, traveled throughout the Indo-Pacific region Oct. 27 – Nov. 4, 2025 in support of President of the United States Donald J. Trump, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine.
Japan
During their visit to Japan, U.S. and Japanese Sailors welcomed Trump, Hegseth and Paparo aboard aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) at Yokosuka Naval Base, where they met with the crew and celebrated the enduring U.S.–Japan relationship.
Hegseth and Paparo also met with Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjirō Koizumi at Japan’s Ministry of Defense to discuss regional deterrence and sustaining freedom and prosperity for Indo-Pacific allies and partners. The visit concluded with engagements with U.S. Forces Japan leadership and Airmen of the 21st Special Operations Squadron at Yokota Air Base.
Malaysia
From Japan, Hegseth and Paparo traveled to Malaysia, where senior government leaders from around the Indo-Pacific convened in Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus. ADMM+ is an annual ASEAN engagement that promotes regional peace and stability through dialogue and defense cooperation.
On the margins of ADMM+, the two leaders met with a wide range of regional defense and government officials, including ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Gen. Tea Seiha, Indian Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh, Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjirō Koizumi, Malaysian Minister of Defence Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Malaysian Director General of the National Security Council Raja Dato’ Nushirwan bin Zainal Abidin, Malaysian Chief of Defence Force Gen. Datuk Mohd Nizam Jaffar, Secretary of National Defense for the Republic of the Philippines Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Thai Minister of Defence Gen. Nattaphon Narkphanit, and U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard Kagan.
Republic of Korea
Following ADMM+, Hegseth and Paparo traveled to the Republic of Korea and met with President Lee Jae Myung and Minister of National Defense Ahn Gyu-back to reinforce the U.S.-ROK Alliance.
They participated in the annual Security Consultative Meeting, focused on the strength of the alliance, deterrence, and shared security priorities. They also attended the 50th Military Committee Meeting, where Republic of Korea Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Jin Yong-Sung met with U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine to discuss strategic and operational guidance in defense of the ROK.
Hegseth and Paparo also traveled to the Joint Security Area within Korea’s Demilitarized Zone with Minister Ahn Gyu-back, and met with the Commander of U.S. Forces Korea Army Gen. Xavier Brunson to reinforce the shared commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific.
USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, prevailing in conflict.
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