Largest Pacific Joint Maritime Exercise Successfully Concludes

The Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026, the world’s largest combined and joint maritime exercise, successfully concluded July 31. 

The 30th iteration of the biennial exercise began June 24, bringing together 30 nations, more than 30,000 personnel, 30 surface ships, five submarines and more than 197 aircraft under the theme “Partners: Integrated and Prepared.”  

Throughout five weeks of realistic training, participating forces enhanced interoperability, strengthened readiness and reinforced the partnerships that support maritime security across the Pacific region. 

“No single nation can ensure security in the Pacific alone,” said Navy Vice Adm. Jeff Jablon, commander of the Rimpac 2026 task force. “The global maritime environment is too large and too complex for any one country to safeguard by itself. Rimpac gives us the chance to build the trust and relationships that make us stronger long before any crisis happens.” 

Rimpac 2026 was hosted by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet and spearheaded by U.S. 3rd Fleet. Multinational leaders were integrated throughout the exercise, with Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Takuo Kobayashi serving as vice commander of the task force and Chilean navy Commodore Andres Howard serving as task force deputy commander. Rear Adm. In-ho Kim from the South Korean navy served as commander of the combined force maritime component, and Royal Canadian Air Force Brig. Gen. J.S. Davis served as commander of the combined force air component.

The exercise also coincided with the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, underscoring the enduring partnerships that continue to strengthen security across the Pacific. For 250 years, the Navy has worked alongside allies and partners to promote maritime security by building relationships founded on trust, cooperation, and shared values. Rimpac puts those principles into practice by providing a venue where participating forces train together, improve interoperability and strengthen the relationships that enable combined and joint operations.

“The network of allies and partners in the region is an asymmetric advantage,” Jablon said. “The work participating nations do at Rimpac builds the combined and joint ability to deter conflict and supports all nations in exercising their sovereign rights and freedoms in the maritime domain.” 

The exercise was conducted in three phases. During the in-port phase, participants established multinational command relationships, planned operations and strengthened partnerships through professional exchanges, cultural events and sporting competitions. During the at-sea phase, participating forces executed complex combined and joint training, including anti-submarine warfare, maritime strikes, integrated air and missile defense, amphibious operations and logistics. The exercise concluded with a free-play scenario in which opposing forces reacted dynamically to one another to evaluate the force’s combined and joint maritime capabilities. 

Throughout the exercise, participating forces executed more than 500 maritime training events, flew more than 2,400 sorties and responded to more than 5,000 scenario-based operational problems.

“Interoperability is something we must continue to develop,” Kobayashi said. “Rimpac brings together allies and partners committed to strengthening security and stability across the region. The daily conversations, shared experiences and personal relationships developed throughout the exercise strengthen our ability to respond together, whether supporting maritime security or assisting communities following a disaster.” 

Training alongside allies and partners in a realistic, multinational environment allows participating nations to improve their ability to operate in combined maritime operations, Kim said.  

“By training together in these complex scenarios, nations improve readiness, refine warfighting skills and build the teamwork needed to operate effectively side by side,” he added.

Rimpac 2026 demonstrated that maritime security is strengthened through trust, cooperation and shared values. By training together in a realistic operational environment, participating nations improved their ability to operate as a combined and joint force across the full spectrum of maritime operations.