More than 200 flag officers, dignitaries, special operations forces experts and guests representing 25 countries gathered in Honolulu, Hawaii recently to discuss emerging security concerns common to their countries and new ways to jointly respond. The gathering of military leaders was for the Pacific Area Special Operations Conference (PASOC) 97.

"PASOC 97 is a continuation of a series of conferences focused towards integration of U.S. Special Operations Forces [SOF] into [U.S. Commander-in-Chief Pacific's] theater strategy," said the conference's host, Brig. Gen. Charles R. Holland, USAF, Commander, Special Operations Command, Pacific in a welcoming paper for conference attendees.

"The theme for this conference is 'Integration of Joint SOF in the Pacific.' Our conference objective is to focus on maximizing the contribution of SOF and its related capabilities towards promoting the Pacific Command's Cooperative Engagement Strategy."

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, H. Allen Holmes, though unable to attend the conference, contributed a paper which identified drug trafficking and terrorism as powerful new challenges for SOF.

Several countries' representatives gave briefs on their homeland's SOF training, development, capabilities, present status, successes and difficulties. Among those who addressed the conference were:

Col. Kun-Ki Baek of the Republic of Korea; Capt. Sutarji Bin Kasmin of Malaysia; Lt. Gen. Phatteh Bahadur Limbu of Nepal; Col. Andrew Martin of New Zealand; Col. Julius I. Javier of the Philippines; Maj.-Gen. Viktor Ivanenkov of Russia; Brig. Gen. Suwanda Kottegoda; Brig. Gen. Seevali Wanigasekera and Commodore Don Wijewickrama of Sri Lanka; and Lt. Gen. Horm Holamyong and Maj. Gen. Chavanit Kanchanatecha of Thailand.

Maj.-Gen. Viktor Ivanenkov observed: "This conference is a logical continuation of the previous PASOC 96, and issues discussed today, in our view, should be inherently connected to the understanding of problems common to all Asia-Pacific region countries and new tasks placed on special operations forces, reached one year ago."

Another valuable goal of the conference was to offer a chance for United States and Asia-Pacific special operations forces leaders to make face-to-face contact and create personal relationships.

"...a conference such as this permits you to exchange views and experiences with others which may be relevant to your own forces," said U.S. Ambassador Charles B. Salmon, Foreign Policy Advisor to the new Honolulu-based Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, in his speech to conference attendees.

"It will also enable you, as practitioners, to talk about the prospects for cooperation not only in exercises which you are already doing so well, but also in the complicated real-world situations which will inevitably occur and for which we can never be as prepared as we might like.

"As Gen. Henry H. Shelton, Commander in Chief of U.S. Special Operations Command observed, quoting his predecessor, (retired Army) General (Wayne A.) Downing, 'You can't have too many friends on the battlefield."

Ambassador Salman concluded: "Conferences such as PASOC 97 foster the cooperative spirit which is so essential when crises arise. In the future, I am persuaded that these crises will more often than not be heavily dependent on special operations forces for their solution."