RIMPAC SOCAL 2016 Kicks Off

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class James Vazquez | SAN DIEGO (June 29, 2016) The Mexican navy tank landing ship ARM Usumacinta (A-412) transits the San Diego bay to participate in the Southern California portion of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016 exercise. Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 30 to Aug. 4, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. 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 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class James Vazquez/Released)  

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES

06.30.2016

Courtesy Story

Navy Public Affairs Support Element West

The multinational exercise Rim of the Pacific Southern California 2016 kicks off today, occurring in and around Southern California through Aug. 4.

RIMPAC SOCAL 2016 participants, Royal Canadian navy’s Kingston-class coastal defense vessels HMCS Saskatoon (MM 709) and HMCS Yellowknife (MM 706) and Mexican navy tank landing ship ARM Usumacinta (A-412), arrived at Naval Base San Diego June 28 and 29. RIMPAC is the world's largest international maritime exercise and provides a unique training opportunity helping participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans.

RIMPAC SOCAL, helmed for the first time by Naval Surface Mine Warfare Development Center (SMWDC), allows U.S. and partner nation participants to train together with sea and shore based commands. Participants will receive relevant and realistic training in amphibious operations, explosive ordnance disposal, mine warfare countermeasures and dive operations.

“This year’s evolution is a significant increase from RIMPAC 2014. This will be the first year that RIMPAC SOCAL will execute amphibious operations within Southern California and the first time in Southern California that the Mexican navy will participate with an amphibious ship,” said Rear Adm. Jim Kilby, SMWDC commander. “The intent of RIMPAC SOCAL is to develop capable, adaptive partners and with the work of the Sailors involved, I am confident that they will exceed expectations.”

Additional training, led by the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, will focus on amphibious assaults, non-combatant evacuation operations, combined-arms training and Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) operations.

Partner nations’ ships will be joined by U.S. dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1), and mine countermeasures ship USS Champion (MCM 4) to train in a realistic, multinational, operating environment.

“The most important thing that the Royal Canadian Navy will gain from having both the Saskatoon and Yellowknife here in San Diego will be the integration with one of our biggest partners, the United States Navy,” said Lt. Cmdr. Todd Bacon, commanding officer of HMCS Saskatoon. “It’s most important that we continue the practice of complete integration between the U.S., Royal Canadian navy, Mexican navy and our other international partners. Because of these partnerships, we can integrate different teams aboard different vessels and are able to facilitate additional capabilities.”

Streamlined partnerships are a recognized and valuable product of RIMPAC SOCAL.

“I’m looking forward to the interoperability with the other partner nations,” said Lt. Cmdr. Donald Thompson-Greiff, commanding officer of HMCS Yellowknife. “I look to achieve, with the RIMPAC mission set, to develop proficiency in my command in mine warfare with partner nation ships and ensure that we have a mutual understanding and practice of mine warfare tactics and doctrine.”

For more information on RIMPAC 2016, http://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/
For more information on U.S. Third Fleet, visit www.c3f.navy.mil.

• Date Taken: 06.30.2016
• Date Posted: 06.30.2016 20:50
• Story ID: 202951
• Location: SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US