USNS Mercy Hosts Multinational Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief Exchange

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Pyoung Yi | Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Cortez Brown demonstrates how to operate a ventilator to People's Republic of China, People’s Liberation Army (Navy) medical personnel during a mass casualty drill aboard the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19). Medical personnel from Australia, Canada, China, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore and the United States were engaged in a medical exchange taking place during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2014. Twenty-two nations, 49 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC exercise from June 26 to Aug. 1, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2014 is the 24th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Pyoung K. Yi/Released)  

PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, UNITED STATES

07.09.2014

Courtesy Story

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet           

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Pyoung K. Yi, USNS Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii – Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) hosted a multinational Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HA/DR) response subject matter expert exchange onboard as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2014 here July 9.

Along with a subject matter expert panel, officials from the armed forces, government agencies and non-governmental organizations presented on issues relating to HA/DR response. The panel’s purpose was to exchange ideas and provide information to RIMPAC medical participants on HA/DR response operations, according to Rear Adm. Colin G. Chinn, command surgeon for U.S. Pacific Command. It also offered a unique opportunity for attendees to share personal stories from first-hand HA/DR experiences.

“We’re getting an opportunity to hear from our other partner nations of RIMPAC,” said Chinn. “We’re hearing their approaches and, perhaps, we can learn from their successes and we can share our lessons learned as well.”

Attendees included military medical personnel from Australia, Canada, the People’s Republic of China, New Zealand, the Republic of the Philippines and Singapore.

“RIMPAC was designed to bring nations together to increase interoperability,” said Capt. Darin Via, U.S. Pacific Fleet surgeon. “What you saw here was a microcosm of not only international interoperability, but of that interoperability expanded to interagency and non-governmental organizations. To have this much exchange of knowledge capabilities, and what different organizations bring to a humanitarian assistance-disaster response scenario, is unheralded and never been done at RIMPAC.”

For the first time in its history, RIMPAC has been an avenue for the international military medical community to meet together and share ideas. The panel provided a gathering place for military medical personnel to exchange ideas and increase their collective knowledge base.

“We’re here together at RIMPAC for the first time,” said Chinn. “Medical is one of the major focus areas, which is a major accomplishment. Another highlight of this event is the fact we have both Mercy and Peace Ark here. We’re seeing this great exchange between two crews the past week and I’d like to see that continue.”
This year’s RIMPAC marks the first time in the exercises history that hospital ships have participated. PLA(N) hospital ship Peace Ark (T-AH 866) and Mercy are scheduled to hold disaster relief drills and exercises in port and at sea.

Twenty-two nations, 49 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC exercise from June 26 to Aug. 1, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.

• Date Taken: 07.09.2014
• Date Posted: 07.12.2014 22:37
• Story ID: 135950
• Location: PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII, US