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Submariners from 10 submarine-operating nations, plus two observer countries, met in Honolulu for the Inaugural Asia-Pacific Submarine Conference to plan cooperative efforts to save lives. The Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s Submarine Force, Rear Adm. John B. Padgett, addresses conference attendees.

Dealing with such contingencies was on the minds of many submariners participating in the exercise. "If some-thing unfortunate happens, we know now that we can get help from all the navies that participated in this exercise," said Capt. Kim Jung-du of the ROK Navy. To capitalize on the valuable lessons learned, future PACIFIC REACH exercises are being planned every two years.

PACIFIC REACH 2000, a historic and groundbreaking exercise, was successful in all respects. All exercise goals were accomplished due to the detailed planning and superb execution by all countries involved. Rear Adm. Lui called Exercise PACIFIC REACH "a significant milestone in regional maritime cooperation."

The second multinational submarine rescue event was the Inaugural Asia-Pacific Submarine Conference, 6 to 9 August 2001. This groundbreaking event included submarine operators from Australia, Canada, China, France, India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States as participants, as well as observers from Malaysia and Thailand. The Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Rear Adm. John B. Padgett III, hosted the conference in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The primary theme for this first conference was "Submarine Rescue in the Asia Pacific Region." As Rear Adm. Padgett said in his opening remarks, "The submarine’s biggest threat is the sea pressure that surrounds it. Submarine rescue is an area where cooperation on a global scale is essential." The need for cooperation in submarine search and rescue was also reiterated by Rear Adm. Lee Hong Hee, Commander, Submarine Flotilla Nine of the ROKN, who said, "Multinational cooperation is much more effective than independent work. We must be willing to make a memorandum for submarine rescue on the basis of humanitarian needs."

Since every country attending the gathering did not participate in Exercise PACIFIC REACH 2000, the conference provided an opportunity to contribute to the development of regional initiatives for submarine rescue. Each participating nation was able to brief the group on their submarine rescue capabilities, programs and priorities. These briefings encouraged spirited discussions on topics that included rescue procedures and operations, training, information management, research and development, medical assistance, and command and control of a multilateral submarine rescue operation. Several recurring themes emerged throughout the three days of discussions.