Amata Pays Courtesy Call to PACOM Commander Admiral Paparo

Washington, D.C. - Congresswoman Uifa'atali Amata, while in Hawaii attending a family funeral, paid a courtesy visit to U.S. Pacific Command headquarters, and PACOM Commander Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, including discussion of American Samoa and the U.S. military's vast responsibilities of the Pacific region.

Congresswoman Amata and PACOM Commander Admiral Paparo on Thursday

Amata's travel to Hawaii enabled her to be present at the memorial service, and surrounding family gatherings, for her mother's sister, Kaho'oki'eki'e Julia Stewart Williams, who passed away peacefully at age 98 this month with family at her side.

Kaho'oki'eki'e Julia Stewart Williams

Amata's aunt Julia was the younger sister of Kawaili'ula Nora Coleman, former First Lady of American Samoa. Nora served American Samoa for sixteen years as the wife of the longest serving and first elected indigenous Samoan Governor, Uifa'atali Peter T. Coleman, while Julia Williams was a lifelong education leader in Hawaii, teacher, children's author, and 16-year director of the Kamehameha Schools Intermediate Reading Program.

During Congresswoman Amata's visit with Admiral Paparo, they spoke in his office covering multiple topics, and Amata voiced her and American Samoa's opposition to deep sea mining in nearby waters, with awareness that the Defense Department has longstanding interest in developing more sources for critical minerals, independent of China, for use in U.S. systems components, the fact driving the U.S. focus on American Samoa's EEZ that was announced early last year.

"I voice our concerns at every meeting that could have any bearing on this issue at all, as it's a top priority matter for our islands," said Aumua Amata. "Of course, the Admiral was already highly informed of my position, our concerns, and American Samoa in general. I appreciated his time and conversation. He leads an enormous area of responsibility that secures the Pacific for trade, travel, fishing, tourism and cargo, as he described for me on his large map. Our people, with our high enlistment rate, have many reasons to support and appreciate our military. My ongoing message to Washington, as there are great power competitive interests focused on the Pacific, is that American Samoa is a strategic point that warrants further U.S. investment, and listening to our people."

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