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RIMPAC Combined Force Takes Kauai by Storm

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080725-06
Release Date: 7/25/2008 6:22:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Paul D. Honnick, Fleet Public Affairs Detachment Hawaii

BARKING SANDS, Hawaii (NNS) -- U.S., Australian, Indonesian and Canadian forces participated in a beach assault exercise July 14-15 at Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) Barking Sands.

Indonesian Marines assigned to Jaguar Company and Canadian Army Soldiers, assigned to A Company, 1st Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry -- embarked on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) and the Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Tobruk (LSH 50) -- stormed two points at PRMF on the island of Kauai as part of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2008 exercise.

The exercise built trust and cooperation between services and partner nations while working to protect maritime freedom in the Pacific Rim.

"It allows us to exercise our core competencies and that is building combat power from the flight deck and well deck and projecting it to shore," said Marine Col. Robert Coates, director of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force training and exercise group. "It also allows us to interoperate with our coalition partners, build those partnerships and habitual associations that allow us to do things in the future so we don't just show up as strangers in the night."

"The naval forces, including the Marines that are participating, are all just different pieces of the pie, so everybody brings something to the table that makes us more effective," said Capt. Rod Clark, commander, Amphibious Squadron 7.

Thirty-five Indonesian Marines launched from Tobruk July 14 in armored assault vehicles (AAV), assigned to Combat Assault Company (CAC), 3rd Marine Regiment, and assaulted a mock communication tower. Indonesian infantry platoons are participating in the USMC Hawaiian Combined Arms Exercise that runs concurrently to RIMPAC 08.

Around 20 Canadian Army Soldiers were transported by MH-53 Sea Dragons, assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 362 (HMH 362), from the Bonhomme Richard July 15 and fast-roped down to PMRF's airfield where they created a defensive perimeter.

The interoperability between the nations participating in the exercise provided an opportunity for the units to learn from one another.

"It's that kind of exchange of information that will make operations in the future where we come together for humanitarian operations or any other type of operation to be able to cross-deck and feel confident that can operate safely and effectively," said Clark.

RIMPAC is the world's largest multinational exercise and is scheduled biennially by U.S. Pacific Fleet. The exercise is held in the Hawaiian Islands operating area June 29-July 31. Participants include Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Netherlands, Peru, Republic of Korea, Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States.

For more news from Pacific Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/cpf/.