Planning and preparations are being finalised for the 29th biennial Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), a multinational exercise involving 29 nations and more than 25,000 personnel, set to run 27 June to 1 August, in and around the Hawaiian Islands.
Hosted by Commander, US Pacific Fleet, RIMPAC 2024 will be led by Commander, US 3rd Fleet, who will serve as the Combined Task Force commander. Vice Admiral John Wade, who recently took command of US 3rd Fleet, received overview briefs, 10-11 June, from staff members on the full range of exercise elements.
“The subject matter expertise and wide-ranging insights that our partner nations, non-military organisations, sister services, and 3rd Fleet staff bring to planning is the reason RIMPAC is the premier joint and combined maritime exercise in the world,” said Wade. “I’m looking forward to returning to Hawaii to exercise and rehearse as a combined multinational operational force.”
Prior to the exercise several surface groups sailing from their respective home ports will meet at designated points and conduct multinational group sails to Hawaii to build upon the established interoperability. The 29 nations are sending 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, and over 150 aircraft. Aircraft including the F-35 Lightning II, P-8 Poseidon, and V-22 Osprey will be operating out of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.
The exercise will include multi-domain warfare in a range of scenarios from anti-submarine warfare, multi-ship surface warfare, multinational amphibious landings, and multi-axis defence of the carrier strike group against live forces.
“RIMPAC offers a uniquely complex and challenging multinational environment for forces to train in areas where common national objectives overlap,” said RIMPAC coordinator RAN Lieutenant Commander Timothy Gill. “Throughout the planning process we’ve built true partnerships based on mutual understanding and respect and expect that to continue during execution.”
RIMPAC 2024 amphibious and land forces will be made up of nine partner nations and 13 ships, with a unique and highly capable mixture of aircraft, ground assault vehicles and ship-to-shore connectors. During execution of RIMPAC, this group of Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines will apply knowledge from their respective nations and skillsets to build a better joint, combined force that can respond to challenges, ranging from high-end conflict to humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
This year’s RIMPAC will host its largest humanitarian aid and disaster relief exercise with eight countries, five ships, five landing craft, five aircraft, multiple land forces, and over 2,500 total participants including the statewide Hawaii Healthcare Emergency Management exercise. The exercise control and scenario development are supported by subject matter experts from the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management, Pacific Disaster Center, USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, and Singapore’s Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre.
“Environmental stewardship is a top priority during RIMPAC, and all participants will observe protective measures for cultural and natural resources throughout the exercise,” said Wade. “We have the immensely valuable opportunity to train in the Hawaiian Islands and surrounding ranges – nowhere else in the world provides a more realistic and relevant training opportunity!”
RIMPAC is designed to foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC trains and enhances preparedness at all levels, including individual proficiency, and sharpens command and control skills while challenging participants to integrate across changing conditions as part of a joint or combined force.
The RAN participating ships will be the amphibious ship HMAS Canberra, the submarine HMAS Farncomband the frigate HMAS Warramunga.
Source: USN
