SAN DIEGO -- Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet and Tactical Training Group Pacific (TTGP) hosted Staff Exercise (STAFFEX), the last planning event for Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2022, at Naval Base Point Loma from March 29-April 1.
STAFFEX included approximately 90 senior staff members from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and the United States, who form the senior leadership in the exercise.
STAFFEX was held following the RIMPAC Final Planning Conference, a large-scale planning conference held in Hawaii from March 21-25 that included approximately 1,000 personnel from 27 nations who will participate in RIMPAC 2022, to improve readiness for working with partner nations to accomplish the objectives of the exercise.
“Ultimately, going through these scenarios makes us more agile and ready for real-world exercises and operations,” said Vice Adm. Steve Koehler, commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet. “We continue to build relationships with each other and hone our skills and processes to ensure smooth execution on game day.”
While the Final Planning Conference was designed for participants to conduct a review of the overall exercise plan, STAFFEX allowed its attendees to walk through scenarios in a computer-based format in advance of executing operations at sea off the coast of Hawaii this summer.
“STAFFEX proved to be a very successful event to execute all the planning and documentation developed in the preceding 12 months,” said Royal Australian Navy Lt. Cmdr. James Dobson, RIMPAC Coordinator. “The ability to test our procedures and reporting chains in a synthetic environment prior to maneuvering multinational live forces remains invaluable.”
RIMPAC began in 1971 and was held annually until 1974, when it became a biennial exercise due to its large scale. The founding nations are the United States, Australia, and Canada. This will be the 28th RIMPAC since inception and currently consists of 27 like-minded partner nations, committing 41 ships, 4 submarines, more than 170 aircraft, and nearly 25,000 personnel.
An integral part of U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet not only leads naval forces in the Indo-Pacific, but also 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.