Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, recently visited Malaysia on May 28-29, 2025. During his visit, he engaged with senior military and government officials to emphasize Malaysia's significance as a partner to the United States and reaffirm the U.S.'s commitment to both Malaysia and the broader region.
Paparo held meetings with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Minister of Defence Mohamed Khaled Nordin. These discussions highlighted the enduring defense relationship between the two nations, which includes various bilateral and multilateral exercises, exchanges among subject matter experts, and information sharing aimed at enhancing maritime domain awareness and promoting regional stability. The U.S. and Malaysia engage in numerous military-to-military activities each year, including participation in events such as the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2025. This event saw over 400 service members traveling to Langkawi island in support of Malaysia’s defense modernization efforts and regional capacity building.
During his time in Malaysia, Paparo also took part in an honors ceremony at the Ministry of Defence and laid a wreath at Tugu Negara National Monument to pay tribute to military personnel who lost their lives during Malaysia’s struggle for freedom.
The U.S.-Malaysia partnership has developed over 68 years into a strong comprehensive alliance rooted in close people-to-people connections that advance mutual priorities like prosperity, security, and stability.
USINDOPACOM remains dedicated to enhancing stability across the Indo-Pacific region by fostering security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression, and prevailing in conflict when necessary.
For additional photos from this visit, see Flickr.