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An epic naval exercise....

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (July 2, 2018) -- Dozens of international warships participating in the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercise gather at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam prior to beginning the at-sea phase of the exercise.

During this initial in-port phase, participating nations work together to ensure every aspect of safety, coordination and maximized training are addressed, briefed and agreed upon. Allied crews participate in sporting events and other social events after working/training hours to forge better understandings between nations.

Twenty-five nations, 46 ships, five submarines, about 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 27 to August 2, 2018 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California operating areas.

The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity....fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants....critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security of the world’s oceans.

Bottom line: RIMPAC goes a long way towards keeping peace!

RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

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I actively participated in at least five RIMPACs during my seagoing career. These exercises were probably the most exciting, interesting and productive of all.

There was always a special aura to a RIMPAC!

Just the opportunity to mingle, train and go to sea with ships and crews from a wide spectrum of allied nations and cultures -- all professional seamen and naval warriors -- was a unique experience for everyone involved.

We forged relationships....personal, cultural, national....that endure the test of time....

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RIMPAC 2018 naval participants

Australia / Royal Australian Navy HMAS Adelaide (L01) -- helicopter carrier HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) -- guided-missile frigate HMAS Rankin (SSG 78) -- diesel-electric submarine HMAS Success (OR 304) -- oiler/supply ship HMAS Toowoomba (FFH 156) -- guided-missile frigate

Canada / Royal Canadian Navy HMCS Ottawa (FFH 341) -- guided-missile frigate HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331) -- guided-missile frigate HMCS Whitehorse (MM 705) -- coastal defense vessel HMCS Yellowknife (MM 706) -- coastal defense vessel MV Asterix -- supply ship

Chile / Armada de Chile CNS Almirante Lynch (FF 07) -- guided-missile frigate

France / Marine Nationale FS Prairial (F 731) -- guided-missile frigate

India / Indian Navy INS Sahyadri (F47) -- guided-missile frigate

Indonesia / Indonesian Navy KRI Makassar (590) -- landing platform dock ship KRI Martadinata (OPV 331) -- guided-missile frigate

Japan / Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force JS Ise (DDH 182) -- helicopter carrier / destroyer

Malaysia / Royal Malaysian Navy KD Lekiu (FFG 30) -- guided-missile frigate

Mexico / Armada de México ARM Usumacinta (A 412) -- tank landing ship

New Zealand / Royal New Zealand Navy HMNZS Te Mana (F 111) -- guided-missile frigate

Peru / Marina de Guerra del Perú BAP Ferré (PM 211) -- maritime patrol boat / corvette

Philippines / Philippine Navy BRP Andrés Bonifacio (FF 17) -- frigate BRP Davao Del Sur (LD 602) -- landing platform dock ship

Philippine Navy frigate BRP Andrés Bonifacio (FF 17) arrives in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii for RIMPAC 2018

Singapore / Republic of Singapore Navy RSS Tenacious (71) -- guided-missile frigate

South Korea / Republic of Korea Navy ROKS Dae Jo Yeong (DDH 977) -- multi-purpose guided-missile destroyer ROKS Park Wi (SS 065) -- diesel-electric submarine ROKS Yulgok Yi (DDG 992) -- guided-missile destroyer

United States / United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, Military Sealift Command HOS Mystique -- anchor-handling supply tug USCGC Bertholf (WMSL 750) -- U.S. Coast Guard maritime security cutter USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE-7) -- dry cargo ship USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE-10) -- dry cargo ship USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187) -- underway replenishment oiler USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) -- hospital ship USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) -- underway replenishment oiler USNS Sioux (T-ATF-171) -- fleet ocean tug USS Ardent (MCM 12) -- mine countermeasures ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) -- amphibious assault ship USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) -- nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dewey (DDG 105) -- guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) -- guided-missile destroyer USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) -- landing ship dock USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26) -- amphibious transport dock ship USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) -- guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) -- guided-missile cruiser USS Momsen (DDG 92) -- guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane (DDG 77) -- guided-missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 88) -- guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) -- guided-missile destroyer USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110) -- guided-missile destroyer

*CLICK on a ship’s name in the list above for more details....

USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)

**Note: Not every participating nation, ship and submarine is listed here due to operational security considerations and concerns for some. (Yeah, apparently some of the participants’ roles are classified. Normal.)

***Note: A scan of the list of ships, types and missions above shows the huge scope of a RIMPAC....and the massive logistics support required to keep all those ships and crews in peak operating condition. This why a full-scale naval exercise like RIMPAC every two years is essential for so many strategic and tactical reasons....for a web of friendly nations spanning the globe.

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>>CLICK the top photos for larger images and more information....

>>Top photo: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Arthurgwain L. Marquez, USN

>>Second photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin R. Pacheco, USN (Note iconic Diamond Head far in the background.)

>>Note: I’ll be posting highlights from RIMPAC 2018 in the weeks ahead, as the at-sea phase of the exercise gets underway. Towards the end of the at-sea phase, all ships from all participating nations will gather to form one huge armada -- to be photographed from the air. It’s always most impressive! I’ll post those photos here.

JDE Ise. Pearl Harbor. RIMPAC 2018.

#JDE #japanese navy #japanese #pearl harbor #rimpac #rimpac 2018

Man-‘o-War....

PACIFIC OCEAN (July 10, 2018) -- As the evening twilight fades, United States Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey (DDG 105) maneuvers in deep ocean waters near the Hawaiian Islands while participating in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2018.

The ship and her crew of nearly 400 men and women are working with an armada of other warships, submarines and aircraft from two dozen nations....doing everything from seamanship drills to top-level command and control simulations....and just about everything else in between....for two weeks of at-sea exercises.

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For an overview of RIMPAC 2018 – one of the largest naval exercises ever held – see my earlier blog post HERE. (<<CLICK)

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>>Top photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Devin M. Langer, USN

USS Dewey (DDG 105)

#U.S. Navy #Navy #USN #RIMPAC 2018 #warships #sunset #Mass Communications Specialist #USS Dewey (DDG 105)

Time passages....

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (July 10, 2018) -- Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) helicopter carrier / destroyer JS Ise (DDH 182) departs Pearl Harbor to begin the at-sea phase of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2018 international maritime exercise.

Seventy seven years ago -- in 1941 -- this scene would have been beyond unthinkable!

But, with the passage of time into history....what were once bitter foes -- the United States of America and Japan -- are now the best of trusted, respected friends and allies!

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For an overview of RIMPAC 2018 -- one of the largest naval exercises ever held -- see my earlier blog post HERE. (<<CLICK)

To learn more about the devastating Imperial Japanese Navy attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, CLICK HERE.

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>>Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jimmie Crockett, USN

#RIMPAC 2018 #history #JMSDF #Pearl Harbor #perspective #warships #naval exercises #WWII #Mass Communications Specialist

Class portrait....

PACIFIC OCEAN (July 26, 2018) -- Multinational navy ships and submarines steam in formation off the coast of Hawaii for a final group portrait....as the world’s largest international maritime exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2018 draws to a close of the at-sea phase.

Twenty-five nations, 46 ships, five submarines, and about 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel have been participating in RIMPAC 2018 -- the exercise running from June 27 to August 2 -- in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.

Now, after a few final inport debriefings on lessons learned....the great force of ships will disperse back to their home nations.

The next RIMPAC -- the 27th in the series -- is scheduled for 2020.

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>>CLICK the photos for larger images and a much better view....(Note the line of five submarine periscopes on the far right of the top photo!)

>>Photos: (TOP) Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Arthurgwain L. Marquez, USN....(#2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8) Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dylan M. Kinee, USN....(BOTTOM) Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anita C. Newman, USN

>>Note: That’s the United States Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) leading the multinational battle force. For a list of participating nations and ships in the at-sea phase of RIMPAC 2018, CLICK HERE to go to my post from the beginning days of the exercise a month earlier.

#RIMPAC 2018 #aerial #military #training #warships #foreign policy #Mass Communications Specialist #maritime #U.S. Navy

The calm before....

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (July 17, 2018) -- Special Operations Forces from the United States, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Peru, Philippines and Japan conduct airborne insertion training during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2018 exercise....soon to parachute from a United States Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.

United States Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

Twenty-five nations, 46 ships, five submarines, about 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from 27 JUN 18 to 02 AUG 18 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The most active phase of the exercise is currently underway.

As the world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity every two years for tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, special forces, and support/logistics personnel....while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security of the world's oceans.

RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

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>>Top photo: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Cory Asato, USN

#RIMPAC 2018 #military #exercises #international #special forces #parachuting #Globemaster III #aircraft #training #Mass Communications Specialist

Into the sunset....

PACIFIC OCEAN (August 2, 2018) -- Royal Australian Navy guided-missile frigate HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) is silhouetted against the tropical sunset....as the world’s most massive maritime exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2018, draws to a close.

Twenty-five nations, 46 ships and five submarines, about 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel participated in RIMPAC 2018 from June 27 to August 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California naval operating areas.

Now, HMAS Melbourne, and the other exercise players, will head for home....

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>>Photo: Petty Officer 2nd Class David Weydert, USCG

#RIMPAC 2018 #Royal Australian Navy #sunset #silhouette #military #maritime #training

Three amigos....

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (July 6, 2018) -- United States Navy, Indian Navy, and Royal Australian Air Force P-8 Poseidons....ready and staged for an early morning start to a long day of in-flight and on-the-ground training together....at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for massive naval exercise RIMPAC 2018.

In a very recent POST HERE I gave a quick review of the key stats about, and nations participating in, this biennial largest of world naval exercises.

Now that the in-port phase of RIMPAC 2018 is drawing to an end, the at-sea phase is beginning, this middle week of July 2018.

These three exceptional multi-mission maritime aircraft....from three far-flung nations....learning to work together as brothers in arms....but, even more importantly, forging enduring professional, cultural, and national bonds.

And off they go, in the early-morning Hawaiian sunshine, to fly over the Pacific Ocean to train together....and, in the weeks ahead, become an integral part of the vast international naval force gathered in and near Hawaii.

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One of the great professional “treats” of being a Naval Officer is the periodic opportunity to mingle and work closely with your counterparts in military services from other nations.

There was nearly always an instantaneous respectful and friendly bond....often to grow into genuine friendships....

....as you trained together during the in-port phase of an exercise....and then went to sea (and air) together....to carry out your duties and responsibilities as an international team of warriors....

....and, near the end, return to port to debrief, discuss lessons-learned, party a bit....and, eventually, bid farewell to new friends from the other side of the world.

Always a memorable experience!

What a lucky opportunity it was to do this stuff routinely back in, especially, my 20s, and 30s!

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>>CLICK each photo for a larger image. Check out the third photo above....three almost-identical-looking aircraft.....except for the markings of three different nations.

>>Photos: Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kevin A. Flinn, USN

#RIMPAC 2018 #navy #U.S. Navy #training #maritime #P-8 Poseidon #naval exercise #Mass Communications Specialist