Photos

Army conducts 1st RIMPAC joint live-fire sinking exercise as Multi-Domain Task Force

Members of the Western Artillery of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force launch a surface-to-ship missile (SSM) from the Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, July 12, toward decommissioned ex-USS Racine (LST 1191), positioned at sea . The SSM was shot in conjunction with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System from 17th Field Artillery Brigade, headquarters of the U.S. Army’s Multi Domain Task Force Pilot Program, in support of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. This was the first time U.S. Army ground forces have participated in a sinking exercise during RIMPAC. Twenty-five nations, 46 ships, five submarines, about 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 27 to Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security of the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971.