USS Ronald Reagan (USN Photo)
RIMPAC, the world's largest naval exercise--involving 14 nations, 32 ships, five submarines, more than 170 aircraft, and 20,000 personnel--is now underway in the waters of the Pacific off Hawaii, according to the USN.
The multi-national maritime exercise began June 23 and will continue through August 1.
This year's exercise includes units or personnel from Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Peru, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and the U.S.
The Navy said there will be three observer nations: Brazil, India and New Zealand.
Three decommissioned ships will be sunk during live fire events.
This is the 22nd time RIMPAC has been held.
Australia, Canada, and the US held the first exercise in 1971.
New participants this year include Indonesia, France, Colombia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
“This is the largest RIMPAC that we’ve had,” Vice Adm. Richard Hunt told the Navy Times.
Admiral Hunt commands the USN 3rd Fleet and is acting as the combined task force commander for RIMPAC.
"The exercise clearly focuses on maritime domain awareness dealing with expanded military operations across the complete spectrum of warfare,” he said.
While the United States accounts for the largest group of participants this year, the exercise isn’t designed just for one force.
“The maritime environment is just too big for any one country to tackle and manage,” Hunt told the Navy Times.
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RSS Supreme (Photo: Ministry of Defence, Singapore)
According to the USN, the exercise will consist of three major phases.
Phase I, the Harbor Phase, was conducted from June 28 through July 5 and consisted of operational planning meetings, safety briefings and sporting events.
Phase II, the operational phase--driven by a structured schedule of events--started July 6 and continues through July 24.
Phase II will include:
• live fire gunnery and missile exercises
• maritime interdiction and vessel boardings
• anti-surface warfare
• undersea warfare
• naval maneuvers
• air defense exercises
• explosive ordnance disposal
• diving and salvage operations
• mine clearance operations
• an amphibious landing.
Phase III-- the tactical phase of the exercise, is scenario-driven and takes place July 25 through July 30.
Training during Phase III will allow participating nations to strengthen their maritime skills and capabilities and improve their ability to communicate and operate in simulated hostile scenarios.
A tactical 'free play' segment will round out the exercise with a yet-to-be-announced warlike scenario.
USS Columbus (USN Photo)
The Pacific Ocean has been the setting for a number of large scale naval exercises in recent months
China recently conducted live fire exercises off its coast and Russia is concluding large scale naval exercises in the Sea of Japan.
Of particular note, the Russian naval exercises reportedly included firing anti-ship missiles over long distances, in addition to anti-carrier exercises.
Many analyst have commented recently about the vulnerability of large surface fleets to asymmetric warfare capabilities, such as anit-ship ballistic missiles, quieter submarines, and sophisticated mines.
A proliferation of quiet diesel-electric submarines in the Pacific from non-allied nations represents a growing threat for the USN, according to a number of sources, including Admiral Hunt, who was recently quoted in the Navy Times as saying they represent the 'number one threat everybody has to deal with.'
Two diesel submarines from Japan and South Korean are participating in RIMPAC this year.
“The opportunity to work and operate against these very quiet diesel submarines provides very realistic training for us," Admiral Hunt told the Navy Times.
The USN aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan will be the centerpiece of the 'Rim of the Pacific' naval exercises,
The Reagan's commanding officer, Capt. Kenneth J. Norton, told Hawaii News the carrier is a 'force provider' for RIMPAC.
At a certain point in the exercise, the Reagan will represent the 'green' force opposing the 'orange' force, according to Captain Norton--the carrier will participate in anti-submarine and surface warfare, and it will be a simulated target for the opposing force.
"They use a term for the carrier. They say we're a high-value (ship)," Norton told Hawaii News.
The San Diego-based Reagan was in the Gulf of Oman last year from July 2 to Sept. 17 providing air support for the war in Afghanistan.
Admiral Hunt told the Navy Times that the presence of USN littoral combat ships Freedom and Supreme at RIMPAC this year, in addition to a stealth frigate from the Singapore Navy, will allow for expanded operations closer to shore, including VBSS (visit-board-search-seize) missions and maritime interdiction operations 'in ways perhaps we have not spent the time doing in the past.'
The San Diego-based Freedom is equipped with a partial surface warfare mission module and will be augmented with VBSS teams and helicopters to allow it to support maritime interdiction or noncombatant evacuation operations, he said.
Exercise planners have carved out more shallow operating areas for the ship geared to 'the way we believe with the surface package she will be utilized,' he told Navy Times.
RIMPAC is expected to bring $43 million to the Hawaiian economy, according to Pacific Business News.
The 20,000 to 22,000 sailors, soldiers, and airmen participating in this year’s exercise will have opportunities to take leave and that means spending at Waikiki hotels, restaurants and local shops around Oahu, according to Pacific Business News, which pointed out that local food wholesalers and food service suppliers will also see a rise in business due to ships replenishing their supplies.
RIMPAC in recent years has had at least one unintended consequence: automatic garage door opening malfunctions across Hawaii.
The interference happens every two years during RIMPAC exercises, according to Hawaii News Now--the US Navy uses a radio frequency that short circuits some remotes.
The following slideshow provides details about some of the key ships participating in RIMPAC.
John Signoriello can be contacted by email at siexaminer@yahoo.com
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