Adm. Sam Paparo is commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The area includes the western pacific, including Japan, Taiwan and China.
The admiral spent time in Norfolk before rising to what has been considered one of the top commands in the Navy. He holds a Master of Arts in International Studies from Old Dominion University.
Paparo spoke Monday evening before a packed house at the Waldo Family Lecture Series on International Relations, where he took questions from the audience, which included Army and Navy leaders.
Though his appearance was promoted openly by the university, Paparo spoke under the Chatham House Rule. This type of arrangement started at Chatham House in London in 1927. The rule allows the information to be reported but not attributed to a particular speaker. The arrangement was made last year, according to the Navy.
The discussion turned to what was described as the vital role journalists play in a free society, which separates the United States from authoritarian regimes. It has allowed the country to uncover problems so they can be fixed. It was said that “our principles of a free press is embodied in our First Amendment.”
The Department of Defense is now requiring journalists who work inside the Pentagon to sign a 17-page pledge to not report any information that is not sanctioned by the press office, including unclassified information. They risk losing their access to the building and to all U.S. bases around the world.
The question arose over whether the U.S. still sees itself as having vital interests in the western Pacific, at a time when the Trump administration reevaluates American alliances around the world. The U.S. continues to build relationships and work with allies and partners in the region, launching joint exercises to integrate their forces with the U.S.
The United States has five military treaty alliances. The North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) is in Europe and the other four are in the western Pacific. The INDO-PACCOM region expects an influx of troops this week.
Following the lecture, Paparo was one of the more than 800 top officers and senior enlisted leaders who were scheduled to be at Quantico Tuesday morning to hear Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and President Donald Trump to speak on standards and future plans for the military.
