German Defence Minister visits U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visited U.S. Indo-Pacific Command at Camp H.M. Smith, participating in an honors ceremony and official briefings during his travels to Honolulu, July 30-31, 2024. 

Pistorius met with Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of USINDOPACOM, to discuss the security environment in the Indo-Pacific and opportunities for cooperation and operational collaboration, including Germany’s participation in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 and PACIFIC SKIES 2024. 

Pistorius also laid a wreath during a ceremony at the USS Arizona memorial, toured the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, and spoke at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies as a part of their speaker series.  

While in Hawaii, he visited crews aboard German frigate FGS Baden-Wurttemberg (F222) and replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main (A1412), which participated in RIMPAC for the first time as part of their ongoing Indo-Pacific Deployment.  

The Indo-Pacific Deployment is the German navy’s most important defense diplomacy and enhanced security cooperation project this year. For seven months, from May to December, German naval forces displayed their colors around the world with a task group consisting of two vessels to demonstrate Germany’s commitment to free and secure shipping lanes, a rules-based international order, and increased cooperation for maritime security.  

Pistorius was also honored with a military fly-over featuring three German Eurofighter EF2000s that participated in RIMPAC and recently conducted a record-breaking endurance flight of a total 10 hours 31 minutes during their transit from Japan to Hawaii. PACIFIC SKIES is designed to increase operational capability and prove that in an emergency they will be able to enforce the principles of a rules-based international order. 

USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region with its Allies and partners by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win.