An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | Aug. 27, 2020

Secretary Meets Sailors, Observes Ops During Rim of the Pacific Visit

HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper visited sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex to experience the Rim of the Pacific exercise — a multinational operation involving 10 nations.

The exercise has been scaled back due to COVID-19, but still had a decent turnout. Australia, Brunei, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and the United States are participating. The participating nations sent 22 ships, a submarine and about 5,300 personnel.

Dubbed RIMPAC, this year's exercise focuses solely on warfighting in the maritime domain. This includes anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, maritime interdiction operations and robust live-fire events, officials said.

The exercise is held every two years and is an opportunity to strengthen relationships, build trust and increase interoperability among the participating nations, officials said. The nations have to be ready to operate together to respond to threats to international commerce and prosperity or a natural disaster that requires a response from the sea. The U.S. Third Fleet commands the exercise.

On the Essex, Esper met with Navy Adm. John Aquilino, the Pacific Fleet commander. The secretary toured the ship and observed missile and gunfire from the neighboring ships USS Chung-Hoon and USS Lake Erie. He had a private lunch with sailors from various departments aboard the flat top, and he spoke to a socially-distanced group on the ship's hangar deck.

''This ship has incredible capabilities,'' Esper told the sailors. ''It is unique. So much so that the Chinese are trying to mimic its capabilities.

''But they don't have you,'' he continued. ''They don’t have your commitment to service, your skills, your knowledge. They can't compete with us at that level.''

The Essex and her sister ships are in the Pacific to deter China and Russia in this era of great power competition, the secretary said.

''Your presence out here in the Indo-Pacific is all about making sure we compete with China and … if necessary, that you can fight and beat them anytime, anywhere,'' he continued.

The nations participating in RIMPAC do so to learn from each other, Esper said. But they look to the U.S. Navy ''as the standard bearer of what a great navy looks like, how a great navy acts, and performs and behaves,'' he said.

The secretary thanked the sailors for their service and for their ability to fight together as a team.

''You come from all parts of the country, or even outside the country,'' he said. ''You come from all walks of life, and [yet] you come together to fight as one team.''

The sailors all raised their right hand to support and defend the Constitution, he said.

''You're part of the 1 percent who has chosen to do that: to risk your welfare and to sacrifice so that all 338 million other Americans can sleep safely and soundly at night,'' he said. ''Thank you for what you do.''

CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
363,188
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
The Pentagon Transfers Authority to the Navy to Ensure the Safe Closure of Red Hill
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 28, 2024 - The Department of Defense announced today that the Joint Task Force-Red Hill has completed its defueling mission at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawai’i and shifted command and control of the facility to the...

U.S. Marines, Sailors arrive in Darwin for 13th iteration of MRF-D
U.S. Marine Corps Col. Brian Mulvihill, right, the commanding officer of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin 24.3, shakes hands with Royal Australian Navy Capt. Mitchell Livingstone, the commanding officer of Headquarters Northern Command at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, NT, Australia, March 24, 2024. MRF-D 24.3 is part of an annual six-month rotational deployment to enhance interoperability with the Australian Defence Force and Allies and partners and provide a forward-postured crisis response force in the Indo-Pacific. Mulvihill is a native of New York. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Cristian L. Bestul)
March 28, 2024 - A new group of Marines and Sailors arrived in the Northern Territory to begin the 13th annual iteration of Marine Rotational Force – Darwin...

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout...

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Lindsey Ford Concludes Visit to Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 27, 2024 - Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners provided the following readout...

DIU Partners With AUKUS Pillar II for International Prize Challenge
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 26, 2024 - The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is launching the first trilateral prize challenge through AUKUS Pillar II— a defense and security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (U.S.)— to...