RIMPAC 2014 Attracts New Naval Participants

[amoy]

RIMPAC 2014 Attracts New Naval Participants: Armed Forces International News

Hosted by the Pearl Harbor-based US Navy Pacific Fleet, the world's largest maritime warfare exercise is scheduled for 26 June to 1 August 2014.

Staged once every two years, RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific Exercise) involves US Navy assets and those of other naval powers from the Pacific Rim area.

RIMPAC has been a fixture on the global maritime events calendar since the early-1970s. As in previous editions, RIMPAC 2014's participants will engage in training missions designed to promote mutual cooperation, sharing operational tips and tactics aimed at keeping the world's sea lanes safe and secure. These will include simulated anti-submarine warfare, air defence and gunnery engagements, plus mine-clearance and counter-piracy operations, EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) and diving/salvage work.

RIMPAC 2014 Participants
RIMPAC 2014 - the 24th instalment - has adopted 'Capable, Adaptive Partners' as its official theme. This year, for the first time, the Republic of China and Brunei are both taking part in the RIMPAC maritime exercise. China's PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy) is sending several ships including the medically-equipped Peace Ark, plus examples of its frigates and destroyers.

Both it and Brunei's navy join a cast-list which also includes the navies of Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, the Republic of Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and the UK.

RIMPAC Naval Exercise
In all, close to 50 naval vessels are expected to gather in the waters off Pearl Harbor next month. However, notable absentees will be the US Navy's Littoral Combat Ships, in service since 2008 but yet to take part in any preceding RIMPAC naval exercise.

"All four LCS ships are conducting testing, trials and mission package certifications, which preclude their participation in the Hawaii portion of RIMPAC 2014", said USN Pacific Fleet representative Commander Steve Curry, earlier this month. "The aforementioned activities can be delayed, but that would delay testing, trials and mission package certifications, which remain the Navy's priority."

-------------------------------------------------------
PLAN ships to participate in RIMPAC 2014

 

[Ray]

The RIMPAC being held at Hawaii is important to the Chinese since they already have a relatively sizeable population of the Pākē or Chinese origin population who constitute about 4.7% of the state's population, most of whom (75%) have ancestors from Zhongshan in Guangdong. This number does not include people of mixed Chinese and Hawaiian descent. If all people with Chinese ancestry in Hawaiʻi (including the Chinese-Hawaiians) are included, they form about 1/3 of Hawaii's entire population.

It is important to show the Chinese newly acquired might to these people since that will come handy in the future.

 

[t_co]

I wonder why Russia's Pacific Fleet was not represented.

 

[Ray]

2 Past Active Members
(Not active in RIMPAC 2014)

Russia
Thailand

 

[amoy]

Chinese fleet arrives in Hawaii for RIMPAC 2016

After a 15-day voyage, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy fleet, comprising of five ships, arrived at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Thursday, local time to attend the Rim of the Pacific naval exercises, also called RIMPAC 2016.

The Chinese fleet's ships are: the missile destroyer Xi'an; missile frigate Hengshui; supply ship Gaoyouhu; hospital ship Peace Ark; submarine rescue vessel Changdao. There also are three helicopters, a marine squad and a diving squad, including 1,200 officers and soldiers, on board, a contingent trailing only that of the US and Canada.

Under the arrangement of the host, the US Pacific Fleet, the Chinese missile destroyer Xi'an and missile frigate Hengshui were docked at Pier 7, while hospital ship Peace Ark, supply ship Gaoyouhu, submarine rescue ship Changdao anchored at Pier 8.

The national flags of China and the United States were hanging on the masts on both sides of the Chinese ships before they arrived at Pearl Harbor, in accordance with the international practice.

The Chinese navy fleet, called Taskforce 153, set sail from Zhoushan in east China's Zhejiang province on June 15. They were joined on June 18 in the western Pacific with two US Navy ships in a group sail to Hawaii.

During the group sail, the Chinese fleet practiced firing its guns at sea, helicopter take offs and landings, dinghy dipping, boarding and inspection, rescue and other items. The Chinese and US sides, respectively, played the role of commanding officers in conducting formation and other tactical practices. Their crews also boarded each other's ships to conduct exchanges.

The group sail encompassed six time zones and about 5,000 nautical miles.

According to the plan, RIMPAC 2016 includes four periods, which include group sail, harbor training, operation on the sea and conclusion. The harbor training from July 1 to July 11 will include various coordination meetings, tabletop exercises, rescue practice, discussion and deck reception parties, ship open day and various cultural and sports events to help the participating navies to get to know each other better and improve their communication and cooperation among the navies.

Wei Jinfu, political commissar of Chinese Taskforce 153, said the exercises during the group sail have laid a good foundation for the following part of the games.

"Going forward, we will make good preparations for the next stage of harbor exercises, actively participate in multilateral activities and keep up our good spirits to demonstrate the open, confident, practical and cooperative image of the PLA Navy," he said.

The RIMPAC 2016 is a multilateral naval exercises led by the US and held once two years. This year is the 25th of exercises in the series, which began in 1971.

A total of 26 nations, 45 ships, five submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in RIMPAC 2016 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California from June 30 to August 4.

It is the second time that the Chinese PLA Navy participated in RIMPAC after its debut in 2014.