The French Embassy hosted the Pacific Partnership 2025 closing ceremony on board the French patrol vessel Auguste Benebig docked at Apia’s port on 31 October. 2025
Commander of the US Pacific fleet hosted , Admiral Steve Koehler, hosted onboard the Acting Prime Minister Toelupe Poumulinuku Onesemo and Cabinet Ministers for the occasion.
The Pacific Partnership is a collaboration between the United States, France, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and the Government of Samoa.
It is the Pacific region’s largest annual multinational humanitarian and civic assistance mission.
Stakeholders from Canada and Germany were included also this year
The closing ceremony marked the successful completion of two weeks of joint activities promoting regional resilience, security, and friendship that commenced in Samoa on October 21 with the arrival of the USS John L. Canley (ESB 6), a Lewis B. Puller-class expeditionary sea base.
This year’s mission emphasized teamwork between U.S., France, Australia, New Zealand, U.K. and Samoan professionals.
Key mission activities included first, Engineering projects jointly completed by U.S. Navy and French engineers, such as the construction of new facilities and water systems at Magiagi Primary School.
There were repairs to health infrastructure at Faleolo District Hospital, then Medical exchanges and outreach with the Ministry of Health focusing on optometry, dentistry, infectious disease prevention, neonatal care, and rural patient services.
Included as well were disaster management training, a mass rescue and oil spill response exercise with Samoa’s Disaster Management Office, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Samoa Police Service.
Finally there was an outreach, featuring a Community Health Event, concerts by the Pacific Partnership Band, school visits, and
collaborations with local NGOs and universities.
Now in its 21st year, Pacific Partnership continues to strengthen regional cooperation and community resilience to long-standing relationships among partner nations throughout the Pacific.
The FNS Auguste Bénébig is one of the 8 vessels of the French Navy in the Pacific stationed both in Noumea and Papeete.
This ship, commissioned in 2023, was named after a famous French military, born and dead in New Caledonia, who behaved heroically during the battles of Northern Africa of World War II.
