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	USINDOPACOM Commander Travels to New Zealand
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        <h1 class="title">USINDOPACOM Commander Travels to New Zealand</h1>
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            <img src="https://media.defense.gov/2024/Apr/07/2003431011/1920/1080/0/240406-N-BD629-1114.JPG"
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                 alt="Adm. John C. Aquilino, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, greets Air Marshal Kevin R. Short, New Zealand Defense Force Chief of Defence Force, before a ceremony to present Short with the Legion of Merit in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 6, 2024. The Legion of Merit is the highest accolade that the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader; it is reserved for individuals who have shown exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon M. Smith)"
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                <div class="image-title">U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Travels to New Zealand</div>
                <div class="image-caption">Adm. John C. Aquilino, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, greets Air Marshal Kevin R. Short, New Zealand Defense Force Chief of Defence Force, before a ceremony to present Short with the Legion of Merit in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 6, 2024. The Legion of Merit is the highest accolade that the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader; it is reserved for individuals who have shown exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon M. Smith)</div>
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            <img src="https://media.defense.gov/2024/Apr/06/2003430935/1920/1080/0/240406-N-BD629-1240.JPG"
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                 alt="Adm. John C. Aquilino, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, speaks at a ceremony to present Air Marshal Kevin R. Short, New Zealand Defense Force Chief of Defence Force, with the Legion of Merit at the U.S. Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 6, 2024. The Legion of Merit is the highest accolade that the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader; it is reserved for individuals who have shown exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon M. Smith)"
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                <div class="image-title">USINDOPACOM Commander Presents Legion of Merit to New Zealand Chief of Defense Force</div>
                <div class="image-caption">Adm. John C. Aquilino, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, speaks at a ceremony to present Air Marshal Kevin R. Short, New Zealand Defense Force Chief of Defence Force, with the Legion of Merit at the U.S. Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 6, 2024. The Legion of Merit is the highest accolade that the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader; it is reserved for individuals who have shown exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon M. Smith)</div>
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            <img src="https://media.defense.gov/2024/Apr/07/2003431012/1920/1080/0/240406-N-BD629-1439.JPG"
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                 alt="Amb. Thomas Stewart Udall, U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to New Zealand and to the Independent State of Samoa speaks during a ceremony to present Air Marshal Kevin R. Short, New Zealand Defense Force Chief of Defence Force, with the Legion of Merit in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 6, 2024. The Legion of Merit is the highest accolade that the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader; it is reserved for individuals who have shown exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon M. Smith)"
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                <div class="image-title">U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Travels to New Zealand</div>
                <div class="image-caption">Amb. Thomas Stewart Udall, U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to New Zealand and to the Independent State of Samoa speaks during a ceremony to present Air Marshal Kevin R. Short, New Zealand Defense Force Chief of Defence Force, with the Legion of Merit in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 6, 2024. The Legion of Merit is the highest accolade that the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader; it is reserved for individuals who have shown exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon M. Smith)</div>
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            <img src="https://media.defense.gov/2024/Apr/06/2003430936/1920/1080/0/240406-N-BD629-1319.JPG"
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                 alt="Air Marshal Kevin R. Short, New Zealand Defense Force Chief of Defence Force, receives the Legion of Merit pinned by Adm. John C. Aquilino, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 6, 2024. The Legion of Merit is the highest accolade that the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader; it is reserved for individuals who have shown exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon M. Smith)"
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                <div class="image-title">USINDOPACOM Commander Presents Legion of Merit to New Zealand Chief of Defense Force</div>
                <div class="image-caption">Air Marshal Kevin R. Short, New Zealand Defense Force Chief of Defence Force, receives the Legion of Merit pinned by Adm. John C. Aquilino, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, in Wellington, New Zealand, on April 6, 2024. The Legion of Merit is the highest accolade that the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader; it is reserved for individuals who have shown exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Shannon M. Smith)</div>
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    <div> <span class="date">/ Published April 7, 2024</span></div>
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    <p>WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Adm. John C. Aquilino, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, visited New Zealand April 5-7, 2024, where he met with Air Marshal Kevin Short, New Zealand Defence Force Chief of Defence Force, Rear Adm. David Proctor, Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy, and Amb. Thomas Stewart Udall, U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to New Zealand and to the Independent State of Samoa, along with other senior government and military officials.</p>

<p>The leaders affirmed the partnership between the U.S. and New Zealand. Discussions included their long-standing common interest in regional security and commitment to the rules-based international order.</p>

<p>In a ceremony during the visit, Aquilino presented Short with the Legion of Merit, the highest accolade the U.S. can bestow upon a foreign leader. Short distinguished himself through his pivotal role in expanding operations, training, programs, and interoperability between the two nations.</p>

<p>In the meeting between Aquilino and Proctor, the two examined security challenges that face the Oceania and Indo-Pacific regions. New Zealand has a mature network of mentors, instructors and technical advisors supporting a pan-regional security cooperation program. Therefore, enhancing bilateral combat effectiveness and compatibility through a strong U.S.-New Zealand partnership.</p>

<p>New Zealand regularly participates in U.S.-led exercises, including the upcoming 2024 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world’s largest international maritime exercise. Aquilino and military leaders discussed the opportunity to expand cooperation and interoperability through the execution of RIMPAC.  </p>

<p>New Zealand and the U.S. stand as key regional partners and each visit, cooperative operation, and military exercise builds the trust and familiarity necessary to continue to provide peace and security to the Indo-Pacific.</p>
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