This past Saturday, Governor Arnold Palacios (left) and Lt. Governor David Apatang (right) welcomed Admiral Samuel Paparo (center), who was recently appointed as Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) in May 2024. During the meeting the Commander reaffirmed regional commitments and discussed other collaborative efforts with the CNMI. Governor Palacios and Lt. Governor Apatang also led the Admiral and his team on a brief tour around Saipan. They were joined by Admiral Brent DeVore, Commander of Joint Region Marianas; Admiral Gregory Huffman, Commander of Joint Task Force Micronesia; and other military leaders.
The visit from Admiral Paparo, whose appointment to his new post was confirmed by the U.S. Senate earlier this year, comes after other high-level visits to the CNMI by Department of Defense leaders and heads of other federal agencies.
The USINDOPACOM area of responsibility encompasses about half the earth’s surface, stretching from the waters off the west coast of the U.S. to the western border of India, and from Antarctica to the North Pole. Approximately 375,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel are assigned to the USINDOPACOM area of responsibility.
