LAUTOKA, Fiji – Electronics Technician 3rd Class Jayden Smith, a Fullerton, Calif. native, is participating in Pacific Partnership 2023. Now in its 18th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission in the Indo-Pacific region.

Smith joined the Navy two years ago to make his family proud by following in his grandfather’s footsteps in serving his country.

“Serving in the Navy really means a lot to me,” said Smith. “I am blessed to be a part of one of the greatest teams in the world and serve my country while giving myself a better future.”

Currently serving as an Electronics Technician assigned to the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS 6), Pacific Partnership is Smith’s first deployment with the Navy.

“Pacific Partnership is my first deployment,” said Smith. “My favorite part about being an electronics technician is seeing all the equipment that I maintain in use and functioning properly during our mission.”

During their first mission stop in Fiji, Smith and other Sailors assigned to the Jackson volunteered for a community relation (COMREL) event at a local school to conduct beautification projects.

At the school, Smith took up the demanding task of creating a garden plot at the school from scratch so that the students would be able to enjoy it.

“My proudest moment in the Navy would be participating in the COMREL at the Lautoka School for Special Education in Fiji,” said Smith. “Volunteering at the school and seeing the smiles on the students’ faces really meant a lot to me.”

At the invitation of host nations, the Pacific Partnership’s mission partners conduct tailored humanitarian civic action preparedness activities in areas such as engineering, disaster response, public health, and host nation outreach events. This year’s mission will feature nearly 1500 personnel from partner nations from Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. 

“I feel very blessed to be here with the Jackson and having the best crew anyone could ever ask for,” said Smith.

For more information about Pacific Partnership, visit www.facebook.com/pacificpartnership, www.instagram.com/pacific_partnership/ and https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/C-LGWP.