The Navy kicked off the 27th biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise on Monday, but with a scaled back commitment because of the worldwide pandemic.
The exercise involving 22 surface ships, one submarine, multiple aircraft and approximately 5,300 personnel from Australia, Brunei, Canada, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, and the United States takes place in Hawaiian water through Aug. 31.
“In these challenging times, it is more important than ever that our maritime forces work together to protect vital shipping lanes and ensure freedom of navigation through international waters,” said Adm. John Aquilino, commander of the Pacific Fleet. “The flexible approach to RIMPAC 2020 strikes the right balance between combating future adversaries and the COVID-19 threat.”
In 2018, 25 nations, 46 surface ships, five submarines, 17 land forces and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel took part in the exercise, traditionally the world’s largest.
This year’s exercise will include multinational anti-submarine warfare, maritime intercept operations, and live-fire training events. However, the traditional in-port cultural events, military exchanges, and amphibious landings will not take place.
“Although not all nations invited were able to participate due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic that began in the region, I am confident that all RIMPAC participants are committed to applying lessons’ learned from this year’s exercise and work with all like-minded nations throughout the year,” said Aquilino.
