Multi-National Force P-3 Orion crew reviews flight plans during RIMPAC 96.

• "We have learned that we cannot live alone, at peace; that our own well-being is dependent on the well-being of other nations, far away. We have learned to be citizens of the world, members of the human community." Franklin D. Roosevelt - Fourth Inaugural Address, 20 January 1945

Although World War II still raged in the Pacific and in Europe when President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his last inaugural speech in 1945, he spoke of lessons learned. Those lessons, learned more than 50 years ago, could easily be tied to the 15th Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC 96) maritime exercise, with the friendships forged, accomplishments achieved, and successes seized by the six participating Pacific Rim nations, in May through June, 1996.

Forty-nine ships, 274 aircraft, seven submarines and 30,000 people from Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the U.S. participated in this fifteenth in the series of biennial exercises, which began in 1971.

"RIMPAC 96 has truly been an enormous success," said Vice Adm. Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Commander, U.S. Third Fleet and overall commander of the monthlong exercise. "In addition to enhancing allied interoperability among maritime naval and air forces, our six navies achieved every training objective in all warfare areas."

Besides the three original participants, (Australia, Canada, and the U.S.), Japan returned for its ninth RIMPAC, participating bilaterally with the United States. The Republic of Korea was back for a fourth consecutive time as part of the Multinational Force. The addition of the South American nation of Chile for the first time ensured that RIMPAC 96 truly spanned the Pacific Rim.

Chile.

"We are increasing our naval participation with the United States," said Chile's Capt. Cristian Gantes, commanding officer of the frigate Almirante Lynch (PFG 07). "It is important to the Chilean Navy to project power in the Pacific theater. To that end, we must maintain a naval presence here and be ready to participate in peacekeeping missions."

The Chilean Navy, which also sent the submarine SS Simpson to RIMPAC 96, has also participated in other exercises with the United States. During the summer of 1996, the Aegis cruiser USS Vincennes (CG 49) exercised with the Chilean Navy in the waters off Chile.

By participating in RIMPAC, Capt. Gantes hopes Chile's navy can learn more about operating in a multinational force and contribute to the forces' interoperability. "Interoperability is not something that can be worked out on paper," he said. "You have to physically participate in the exercise, communicate and train effectively with other navies."

Australia.

Rear Adm. Christopher Oxenbould, Australia's maritime commander and Commander of RIMPAC' s Multinational Force, observed that current events around the world demonstrate that different countries' militaries must be able to operate together. "The way that international events stand at the moment, I would think that coalition warfare is the most probable," Rear Adm. Oxenbould said. "And we see that in the Mediterranean at the moment, in Bosnia."

Canada.

To Canadian Capt. Glenn Davidson, Commander, Maritime Operations Group Two, "RIMPAC provided a unique opportunity for friendly nations of the Pacific to work together. We have a long history of cooperation with the [United States], but also with the other Pacific nations."

Capt. Davidson, whose command is homeported in Esquimalt, British Columbia, directed his forces, which included the frigate HMCS Regina (FFH 334), from his flagship, the destroyer HMCS Algonquin (DDGH 238). He emphasized that the RIMPAC exercise makes possible "cooperation and interoperability between the nations that participate."

Republic of Korea.

Republic of Korea Lt. (j.g.) Lee Sun-Han said that, even though his country has participated in the exercise since 1990, this was his first RIMPAC. "Getting to know everyone and how things work on a staff command was the most difficult part," said Lt. Lee, who served as a watch officer on the Multinational Force staff aboard USS Princeton (CG 59). "Thanks to the U.S. Navy crew and other officers from all countries involved, things went much smoother. For example, when there was a word or phrase I did not understand, one of my new shipmates was always there to help me through."

Although the ultimate goal of the exercise has remained the same throughout the years-to enhance cooperation among Pacific allies and promote stability in the region-RIMPAC has evolved and grown to reflect changing times.

Cooperation.

"Working with other Pacific Rim nations builds a feeling of mutual cooperation," Vice Adm. Lautenbacher said from aboard his command and control ship, USS Coronado. "It builds a sense of stability for all our interests in the various regions of the Pacific. And it builds cooperation between our navies and other units which are operating in the exercise." The levels of cooperation varied from Japanese helicopters landing on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Independence (CV 62) to helping sailors overcome language and cultural barriers.

The importance of this cooperation to his nation is exceptional, Canada's Capt. Davidson noted, since most of Canada's trade and information runs across the Pacific. "We have a huge interest in the Pacific." He said, "Our future will increasingly rely on the Pacific and we have to accept that the long history with the U.S. and Pacific nations, the friendships and relations we have developed, are vital and need to be deeply firm."

The first RIMPAC was conceived during the Cold War, when the threat from the former Soviet Union forced the United States to focus resources on preparing for confrontations on the open sea - in the "blue water." Today's naval forces are different. They are oriented to stabilize potential threats from, and operate effectively in, the seas' shallow "brown water" areas near land, often referred to as littoral areas.

"RIMPAC 96 was an excellent example of training in the littoral," Vice Adm. Lautenbacher said. "We included exercises that encompassed all facets of littoral warfare, from undersea warfare, surface warfare and air warfare, to strike and power projection missions across the beach."

RIMPAC 96 achieved important objectives including the integration of combined and joint forces, training in all warfare areas, and the safe and professional completion of the exercise. JapanU.S. bilateral cooperation also was important, according to the senior officer from Japan, Rear Adm. Hideaki Kaneda, Commander, Escort Flotilla Four and commander for Japan Maritime SelfDefense Forces (JMSDF) units during RIMPAC.

Japan.

"The Japan Maritime SelfDefense Force has built strong mutual cooperation through every opportunity [to operate] with the U.S. Navy Independence battle group, starting from the preparation phase in all levels from unit level to flag level," Rear Adm. Hideaki Kaneda said about the bilateral portions of the exercise.

He added that participating in bilateral events with the U.S. Navy has "contributed to the improvement of JMSDF readiness and proficiency and to building interoperability with the U.S. Navy."

According to U.S. Rear Adm. James O. Ellis Jr., Commander, Carrier Group Five and commander of the JapanU.S. bilateral exercise, the participation of Japan and the United States showed how "bilateral exercises between the U.S. Navy and the Japanese Maritime SelfDefense Force help both services efficiently maintain and improve their military skills. They also promote mutual understanding and enable close communication while helping to ensure we retain the ability to conduct smooth, coordinated actions in case of crisis or peacekeeping operations," said Rear Adm. Ellis.

Cooperative Engagement.

The success of each operational phase during RIMPAC 96, whether bilateral or multinational, helped verify the excellent teamwork displayed throughout the month-long operation, according to Vice Adm. Lautenbacher. "We have a superb team of professionals who have proven they can work together successfully to enhance and protect that peace we enjoy in the Pacific region," he said.

"The U.S. Pacific Fleet is forging close and positive relationships with the navies of other nations throughout Asia and the Pacific Rim," said Adm. Ronald J. Zlatoper, then Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet. "These informal partnerships contribute directly to USCINCPAC's strategy of Cooperative Engagement," he said. "They also demonstrate that, in the post-Cold War era, the U.S. Navy remains committed to promoting peace, progress and prosperity throughout this vital part of the world."

RIMPAC 96 Highlights.

RIMPAC 96 tested the coordination and teamwork of the participating naval forces and "also included joint operations with our Air Force, our Coast Guard, and, of course, our Marine Corps," Vice Adm. Lautenbacher said. During the exercise, evolutions took place at a hectic pace on shore, in the air, and at sea:

• A simulated embassy rescue was staged at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.
  
  
• An amphibious landing by the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Marines from Kaneohe Bay was launched at Barking Sands beach, on Kauai, Hawaii from the USS Essex (LHD 2), USS Cleveland (LPD 7) and USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49).
  
  
• U.S. Navy Special Warfare SeaAirLand (SEAL) Teams and Naval Reserve helicopters conducted a number of missions, including a number of combined operations, where SEALs practiced insertion capabilities near Naval Air Station Barbers Point on Oahu, Hawaii.
  
  
• Ships from Australia, Canada, Chile, the Republic of Korea and the United States participated in two missile exercise events off the island of Kauai that involved 56 targets, 45 anti-air missiles, 16 anti-ship missiles, and a number of torpedoes and bombs.
  
  
• More than 2,000 air sorties were launched from the aircraft carriers USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and USS Independence (CV 62), and from shore bases. (For carrier-based A-6 Intruder attack jets, this was their last major exercise before being retired from U.S. naval service).
  
  
• The U.S. Coast Guard operated along the shoreline, kept harbors open, and participated in maritime interdiction operations that involved teaching other units how the U.S. Coast Guard boards a suspicious ship.

Following the exercise, sailors of six nations returned to Pearl Harbor for port visits and exercise debriefs. They continued to forge new bonds of camaraderie when Pearl Harbor Naval Station offered tours and sponsored a number of sporting activities to further growing friendships between the nations of the Pacific Rim. The exercise also provided an opportunity for good training with international partners, a new experience for some participants.

"This was my first time to take part in RIMPAC," said Leading Seaman Steven A. Murray of the Royal Australian Navy oiler HMAS Success (AOR 304). "This exercise gave me the chance to observe and learn about the other countries' professionalism in their seamanship, their different signals, and their country's culture."

"RIMPAC 96 represented an opportunity for six nations of the Pacific to send a strong signal that their cooperation ensures a freedom of the seas and the development of economic trade which benefits all nations," Vice Adm. Lautenbacher said. "We have seen that our six nations possess versatile and capable maritime forces, operating forward from the sea, as the surest guarantee of peace and stability in this vital region of the world." That peace is exactly what a U.S. president from an earlier time had talked about while learning the lessons of interdependency during a terrible war, in another era.