New Zealand-led force begins multi-national aid mission in Solomon Islands

Two U.S. Navy ships and one New Zealand navy vessel, along with 700 military personnel from various nations, have arrived in the Solomon Islands to deliver aid and prepare for emergencies, the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) announced Tuesday. The multinational force under New Zealand command was part of the annual Pacific Partnership 2013 (PP13) exercise to deliver humanitarian assistance and develop disaster preparedness in the Pacific island nation, said a statement from the NZDF. The force included New Zealand amphibious sealift ship HMNZS Canterbury, U.S. dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor and logistics ship USNS Matthew Perry, and more than 150 NZDF personnel working at six sites alongside locals and Pacific Partnership nations. The NZDF had commanded a similar PP13 operation in Kiribati and the focus in both nations was on building capacity through medical, dental, veterinary, public health services, engineering and disaster response, Deputy Mission Commander, Captain Tony Millar, of the Royal New Zealand Navy, said in the statement. Ten nations and a range of non-government organizations would provide development assistance and enhance community infrastructure in northwestern Solomon Islands, island groups and the capital Honiara. The USS Pearl Harbor and the New Zealand diving support vessel HMNZS Masnawanui were involved in mission activities in Kiribati, where New Zealand and U.S. explosive ordnance disposal teams disposed of more than 300 Second World War ordnance items.