WESTERN PACIFIC NAVAL SYMPOSIUM

The Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) comprises navies whose countries border the Pacific Ocean region. It was inaugurated in 1988 after navy chiefs attending the International Seapower Symposium in 1987 agreed to establish a forum where leaders of regional navies could meet to discuss cooperative initiatives. Under the WPNS, member countries convene biennially to discuss regional and global maritime issues.

Currently, WPNS membership stands at 21 members and four observers. They are:

Members
Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, People's Republic of China, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, United States of America and Vietnam

Observers
Bangladesh, India, Mexico and Pakistan

WESTERN PACIFIC MINE COUNTERMEASURE EXERCISE

The Western Pacific Mine Countermeasure Exercise (WP MCMEX) is a multinational military exercise conducted within a maritime security framework. The exercise will involve coordinated mine countermeasures planning, real-time and post-mission analysis as well as the conduct of conventional and unmanned mine-hunting and mine-sweeping operations. The 16 participating countries for WP MCMEX 2015 are Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, United States of America and Vietnam.