Canadian Navy ships prepare for RIMPAC 2016

Canada will be taking part in the United States Navy-led Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) with four warships, several aircraft and more than 1,500 Canadian sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen.

More specifically, a maritime component comprised of four ships: HMCS Calgary, HMCS Vancouver, HMCS Saskatoon and HMCS Yellowknife, and an RCN team of clearance divers will be joined by other Canadian land and air assets for the exercise.

RIMPAC 2016 will be taking place in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California from June 30 to August 4, 2016.

The 25th edition in a series and held every two years, RIMPAC has grown into the world’s largest combined and joint maritime exercise. RIMPAC 2016 will bring together 45 ships, five submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel from the armed forces of 27 nations. The exercise will challenge participants with unique training opportunities across the spectrum of military capabilities – from humanitarian assistance and disaster response to dynamic maritime security and complex warfighting operations.

Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, said: “Canada has participated in every RIMPAC since 1971. Over the years, our participation has helped us build and foster collaborative relationships with our allies and partners in the region.”

“RIMPAC 2016 is a valuable opportunity for all services of the Canadian Armed Forces to train together in a joint environment with international allies and partners. The exercise will challenge our 1,500 Canadian men and women as we improve our readiness to respond to a range of potential operations, strengthen military-to-military partnerships, and enhance our ability to work effectively with participants from more than 25 nations,” said Rear-Admiral Scott Bishop, RIMPAC Deputy Commander Combined Task Force.

Canadians will also hold key leadership positions during RIMPAC 2016: Rear-Admiral Scott Bishop will serve as the Deputy Commander of the Combined Task Force and
Brigadier-General Blaise Frawley, will serve as the Air Component Commander.