Western Pacific Naval Symposium

The Western Pacific Naval Symposium, commonly known as WPNS, aims to increase naval cooperation in the Western Pacific by providing a forum for the discussion of maritime issues, both global and regional.  It is intended that common understandings and agreements be achieved, such as the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) which the Chiefs of Navy first endorsed in 2014.

The inaugural Symposium was held in Sydney in 1988.  Since then Symposiums have been held every two years and staff officers of the navies meet annually at the WPNS Workshops.  Various other activities are held annually and all events are rotated between the members.

Japan will be chairing the Symposium in November 2022.  Peru will be hosting the WPNS Workshop in 2023 and China will be chairing the Symposium and Workshop in 2024.

WPNS includes 22 members and 8 observer nations:

Members

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

Observers

Bangladesh, Ecuador, India, Pakistan, Colombia, Mexico, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

Contact

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is an active member of WPNS.  For further enquires or correspondence, the RAN International Engagement Team can be contacted via navy.internationalengagement@defence.gov.au, or correspondence can be addressed to:

Navy International Engagement
Royal Australian Navy
Russell Offices
R1-04-C129
PO Box 7902
Canberra BC ACT 2610
AUSTRALIA