About 100 army officers and government officials from 33 Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean nations attended PAMS XXV in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The annual PAMS gatherings are co-hosted by U.S. Army, Pacific (USARPAC) and another regional army. Co-hosts for PAMS XXV, Lt. Gen. Dató Pahlawan Khairuddin bin Mat Yusof, Army Field Command Commander of the Malaysian Army and Lt. Gen. E. P. Smith, Commanding General of USARPAC, answer questions from the press.

The principal PAMS speakers were Gen. Tan Sri Md Hashim bin Hussein, Chief of the Malaysian Army; Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, Chief of Staff, U.S. Army; Lt. Gen. Dató Pahlawan Khairuddin bin Mat Yusof, Army Field Command Commander of the Malaysian Army; and Lt. Gen. E. P. Smith, Commanding General, U.S. Army, Pacific.

At the PAMS opening ceremony, the U.S. co-host, Lt. Gen. Smith, challenged the delegates to continue to develop their interpersonal relationships as professionals and friends, foster army-to-army senior leader cooperation in the critically important Asia-Pacific region and contribute to Asia-Pacific regional security and stability by actively participating in the syndicate discussions, listening to each other, and by relaxing a bit and becoming better friends.

In his opening remarks, Lt. Gen. Khairuddin, Malaysia’s co-host, agreed with Lt. Gen Smith’s views and added that, "the armed forces of the Pacific region would be forced to face up to new security threats and challenges in a dynamic and multi-dimensional world."

Gen. Shinseki, during his keynote address, said, "We gather at conferences like this one for one reason — it’s about leadership." He noted, "Our responsibility is to set our soldiers up for success in future peacekeeping missions. That means preparing them to interoperate effectively regardless of where that will be, without knowing with whom or under what command structure they will operate, and without a clear view of the threat or any appreciation of what governmental institutions remain functional." Gen. Shinseki went on to encourage the delegates to make the most of their time together and, "prepare our young leaders well for the awesome responsibilities we will hand them."

Gen. Shinseki was in Kuala Lumpur primarily to participate in the 2nd Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (PACC II).