PN contingents arrive for big maritime exercise in Pearl Harbor
The Philippine Navy (PN) contingents for Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) Exercise 2018, the world’s largest maritime exercise arrived in Hawaii on Tuesday morning.
Commander Jonathan Zata, Philippine Navy spokesman, said the PN contingents led by the Commander, Naval Task Force 86, Captain Ernesto Baldovino onboard BRP Andres Bonifacio and BRP Davao del Sur with one Augusta Westland Helicopter arrived in Pearl Harbor around 10 am Manila time.
“Rimpac 2018 with its theme, "Capable, Adaptive, Partners” is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971 and is held biennially.
For the first time the PN is sending a Naval Task Force to participate in the world's largest joint and combined naval exercise, scheduled from June 27 to Aug. 2, in and around the Hawaiian Islands,” he said.
“This is by far the largest International Defense and Security Engagement (IDSE) that the PN will participate for this year with the Commander, Fleet-Marine Ready Force, Commodore Toribio Adaci Jr as its head of the mission,” he added.
Zata said the “participating nations will demonstrate the inherent capabilities of their respective naval forces through a wide range of realistic exercises that includes human assistance and disaster response (HADR), maritime security operations, sea maneuvers and complex warfighting.”
“The exercise not only aims to harness each nation’s naval capabilities but also to bolster cooperation among participating nations to secure the maritime commons against threats,” he said.
“The PN’s participation in this undertaking is indeed an attestation that the nation’s premier maritime force is “coming of age”, consistent to its vision towards a strong and credible navy, that our maritime nation can be proud of,” he added.
Zata said the first phase of Rimpac exercise 2018 is expected to start on Thursday while the live fire exercise will be conducted next month.
“Starting tomorrow there is an opening ceremony, then starting June 28 that is what they called as harbor phase. These are urban environment training, ground air integration training, running zone operations, amphibious assault inter familiarization, so this will happen while the ships are still in port, and preparing for the next phase,” he said.
“Starting 13 to 19 is what they call as force integration phase. I believe the live fire will happen on the 18th...That was the schedule given to us but it will be confirmed during their planning in Hawaii,” he added. Robina Asido/DMS
