SAN DIEGO -- U.S. 3rd Fleet and the Royal Canadian Navy hosted the Commanders’ Conference for Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 at Naval Base Point Loma, Feb. 14-18.

The weeklong conference brought the RIMPAC senior leadership and staffs from seven RIMPAC partner nations together for detailed planning in advance of the world’s largest maritime exercise, scheduled to be held this summer in both Hawaii and San Diego. It was the third major planning event for the 2022 iteration and the first time the RIMPAC senior leadership team met face-to-face.

“This has been a great week for the leadership team and me to get to know one another, integrate our staffs and really talk about our vision for RIMPAC 2022.” said U.S. 3rd Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, who will serve as the commander of RIMPAC 2022. “Huge thanks to Canada for co-hosting this conference with me in San Diego, and I appreciate the commitment and effort of my senior commanders to break away from their daily commitments and focus on this vitally important international exercise.”

This conference provided RIMPAC leadership and key planners the opportunity to share experience and knowledge, strengthen successful working relationships and develop a cohesive operating plan to successfully execute RIPMAC 2022. In addition to the U.S. and Canada, nations represented during the conference include: Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea.

“Operating as a team is about trust. You can’t surge that,” said Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Angus Topshee, deputy commander of RIMPAC 2022 combined task forces. “This week has really strengthened those bonds among the leadership and their staffs. I can’t wait to see this team in action.”

The RIMPAC 2022 final planning conference is scheduled to take place in late March. RIMPAC began in 1971 and was held annually until 1974, when it became a biennial exercise due to its scale. The founding nations were Australia, Canada and the United States. This will be the 28th RIMPAC since inception and currently consists of 27 like-minded partner nations, committing 42 ships, 5 submarines, more than 170 aircraft, and nearly 25,000 personnel.

An integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet leads naval forces in the Indo-Pacific and provides the realistic, relevant training necessary to flawlessly execute our Navy’s role across the full spectrum of military operations—from combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. U.S. 3rd Fleet works together with our allies and partners to advance freedom of navigation, the rule of law, and other principles that underpin security for the Indo-Pacific region.