Lt. Ingrid Paige, who is attached to the Region Legal Service Office (RLSO) Japan branch office in Singapore, is currently serving as a staff judge advocate in support of Pacific Partnership 2018 (PP18).
Deployed aboard USNS Mercy (T-AH-19), she is making stops during the next few months in Bengkulu, Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Trincomalee, Sri Lanka; Nha Trang, Vietnam; and Yokosuka and Tokyo, Japan. The mission of PP18 – an annual maritime operation – is to improve disaster response preparedness, resiliency, and capacity while enhancing partnerships with participating nations and civilian humanitarian organizations throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
“PP18 has four lines of effort: Medical, Engineering, Community Relations, and Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief,” said Paige. “It is an incredible opportunity for judge advocates to learn about various cultures in the Indo-Asia-Pacific, work on a joint staff, and broaden their staff judge advocate skills while experiencing life at sea on a hospital ship.”
This year’s mission began on Feb. 23, when Paige departed San Diego, USS Mercy’s homeport. She is joined on the ship by a top-notch team of paralegals – Legalman 1
st Class Karen Bobb, Legalman 1
st Class Martha Busuego and Legalman 2
nd Class Isaac Jernigan.
Lt. Jared Janes, a member of the RLSO Hawaii team, is serving as deputy staff judge advocate for PP18 aboard USS Brunswick (T-EPF-6). After accompanying Paige on the first leg of the mission, Janes cross-decked to USS Brunswick in Guam, and he is stopping during the next few months in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau; Tawau, Malaysia; Sattahip, Thailand; and Nha Trang, Vietnam. Paige says that each day aboard USS Mercy is completely different.
Her duties include conducting research and advising on fiscal law, sovereign immunity, ethics and rules of engagement; conducting disciplinary proceedings; managing investigations; coordinating and training on country-specific liberty policies; policy drafting and reviews; and supervising her very talented team of legalmen.
“I am learning more and more every day,” said Paige. “Not only have I broadened my skills and experience in the legal realm, I have also learned so much from being a department head of the embarked operational staff.” “Working with and getting to know partner nation personnel onboard and at mission stops has been the best experience,” she added.
At the conclusion of the five-month deployment – and at the end of both PP18 and the Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2018 – Paige and her colleagues will return to their regular duty stations. Bravo Zulu, all, on a job well done on this special assignment!