RIMPAC 96 was under the command and control of the U.S. Third Fleet, but the website was managed by the U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs Office and the CIB, staffed with personnel from all six nations. "I believe this is the first time that an Internet site has been used in direct support of a major military exercise," said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Keith Arterburn, the Pacific Fleet's Deputy Public Affairs Officer and RIMPAC's CIB director.

The site proved its usefulness in immediately disseminating information when an American A6 Intruder attack jet was accidentally struck by gunfire from a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship during RIMPAC. There were nearly 3,500 hits on the RIMPAC 96 Internet site by people looking for more information during the 24 hours immediately following the incident. Once on-line, they got the latest press releases and were also able to hyperlink to the U.S. Navy's Fact File to find out more about A-6 jets and about the weapons system that fired on the jet.

"It's impressive to see the communications loop come full circle so quickly," Cmdr. Arterburn said. "The event happens, the reporter's story gets published, and then people read all about it. That used to take days, now the reader can access the information in as little as an hour after the event occurs." That was one of the motivations for using the Internet.

"We wanted to be able to reach as many people as possible with information about RIMPAC 96," Cmdr. Arterburn said. "The location of the exercise - in the middle of the Pacific Ocean - keeps some media from covering this important exercise. The Internet allowed media and interested individuals to follow the exercise."

Going on-line for RIMPAC 96 also shortened the time it took to send information, particularly photos, to newspapers and magazines. In the past, once a photo was taken, it would take days to process, print and distribute a photo to news publications. The Internet eliminated most of the wait.

In Winnepeg, Canada, for example, "Winnepeg Free Press" readers were able to learn about the contributions of their city's namesake ship, HMCS Winnepeg (FFH 338), during RIMPAC. After the paper was alerted by a CIB member that the ship's photo was available on the RIMPAC 96 website, it was able to download the picture and run it in the next day's edition.

"We tried to update it daily with photos and information so people following the exercise from around the world knew what happened that day," Cmdr. Arterburn noted. "Our site provided onestop shopping for information. When you see the size of the site and the amount we were adding each day, it gives you an idea of the complexities surrounding the largest naval exercise in the world, RIMPAC 96."

Ultimately, the web site contained more than 300 pages of information, 200 graphic images and nearly 150 high-resolution photographs suitable for publication. Although this is the 15th of the biennial exercises, it is the first conducted in the "Information Age," and Cmdr. Arterburn is certain it won't be the last.