KOTA KINABALU: More than 500 participants from nine countries are taking part in the Pacific Partnership 2026 (PP26), a multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster response mission here.
The Public Relations Secretariat of the Joint Forces Headquarters said the programme, which runs from Sept 2 to 15, brings together 502 participants.
They comprise 187 Malaysian Armed Forces personnel, 192 United States military personnel, 75 military personnel from Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and the United Kingdom, as well as 48 NGO representatives.
The Malaysian leg of PP26 was officially opened at Dewan Mengkabong, Intan Sabah, here on Thursday (Sept 3).
Joint Forces Commander Lt-Gen Datuk Seri Tengku Muhammad Fauzi Tengku Ibrahim said the Pacific Partnership was not a war-fighting or conventional military exercise.
“It is more focused on humanitarian assistance,” he said at a press conference after the opening ceremony.
Tengku Muhammad Fauzi said PP26 focuses on four areas — infrastructure repairs, community health programmes and a medical symposium, maritime search and rescue exercises, as well as educational and cultural programmes.
Pacific Partnership was initiated by the US Navy in 2006 following the Aceh tsunami in Indonesia.
Malaysia has participated since its inception and previously hosted the mission in Kuala Lumpur, Lumut and Kuching, with the previous edition in Malaysia held in Kuantan in 2023.
This is the first time the programme is being held in Kota Kinabalu.
