SAIPAN, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands — Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, visited Saipan and Tinian in the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands on July 20, 2024, where he met with senior government officials and U.S. service members, underscoring the enduring commitment to homeland defense and honoring shared history in the Pacific.

CNMI is part of the U.S. homeland and under U.S. legal and defense protections. It is home to more than 47,329 U.S. citizens and is strategically significant to the United States as a Pacific nation.

Paparo met with Saipan Gov. Arnold I. Placios, Lt. Gov. David M. Apata, and Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan, and discussed land conservation, future opportunities for military investment, and changes in the evolving security environment.

He was joined by Rear Adm. Greg Huffman, commander, Joint Task Force – Micronesia, Rear Adm. Brent DeVore, commander, Joint Region Marianas, and Fleet Master Chief David Isom, USINDOPACOM command senior enlisted leader, emphasizing personal relationships and the enduring obligations to the people of CNMI.

On Tinian, Paparo met with Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) Five and airman from the U.S. Air Force’s 513th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron (RED HORSE), both of which are providing critical construction and engineering projects under Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training missions to increase readiness while delivering key services to local communities.

The site visit was significant to Paparo personally as his paternal grandfather was a Navy Seabee in the 59th Naval Construction Battalion who served during Operation Forager to free Saipan, Tinian and Guam in June-July 1944. More than 59,000 joint service members surged to CNMI, where approximately 3,000 gave the ultimate sacrifice to gain a decisive strategic victory in the Pacific campaign.

USINDOPACOM’s primary mission is the protection and defense of the territory of the U.S., its people, and its interests. With Allies and partners, 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, fighting to win. This approach is based on partnership, presence, and military readiness.