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RIMPAC leaves Pearl Harbor
The largest maritime exercise in the world, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2000, ended recently as the ships of seven nations steamed out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. For five weeks, the armed forces of Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States participated, dealing with a number of high-technology scenarios that simulated real-time naval battles. RIMPAC is intended to enhance the tactical proficiency of participating units in a wide array of combined operations at sea. By enhancing interoperability, RIMPAC helps to promote stability in the Pacific Rim region to the benefit of all participating nations. This year’s exercise included a variety of surface combatant ships, submarines, tactical aircraft, amphibious forces and a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group. One Massapequa native supported the exercise, ensuring its success. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Colleen M. Murray, the 26-year-old daughter of James and Sharon Murray of Massapequa, is an engine mechanic on board the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), home ported in San Diego. Murray realizes the importance of multinational exercises like RIMPAC. "The military is a cycle of protection. We must constantly train. Marines train in the field to fight and the Navy trains on ships. Without ships, marines could not travel across oceans to other lands. Navy and Marine Corps personnel need each other for the protection of this country," said Murray, a 1991 graduate of Massapequa High School. More than 50 ships, 200 aircraft and 22,000 U.S. Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Army and Coast Guard men and women took part in RIMPAC 2000. The success of this exercise was achieved through both personal and professional preparation. "If the Navy teaches you anything, it’s to sacrifice liberty and deal with anything, " Murray said. The Boxer, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, is nearly three football fields long, can carry up to 45 helicopters and has a crew complement of nearly 3,000 sailors and marines. The ship is also armed with NATO Sea Sparrow missiles and various anti-aircraft guns. During the exercise, the different navies worked together in scenarios designed to imitate an actual war. By having their forces participate in RIMPACs on a regular basis, military leaders hope to bolster war fighting skills between allies in case they are called to fight a common enemy. Murray and other Boxer sailors were able to practice their jobs during mock battle situations. Each sailor played a part in the success of this RIMPAC, the seventeenth of its kind. Being a part of multinational exercise allowed Murray to achieve personal objectives. "I was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd class and it was real important for me to get in shape. I am the physical readiness representative for the engineering department. I accomplished losing weight, gaining muscle and helping other shipmates get fit as well," said Murray, a four-year Navy veteran. Murray and other West Coast Sailors have a great responsibility. They ensure that the Pacific Ocean - which covers roughly 64 million square miles - remains open to commerce and free from war. RIMPAC exercises help the U.S. and foreign navies uphold this stability in the Pacific. For Murray, RIMPAC was an opportunity; to understand and work with other Pacific rim navies in the event the president may require the Boxer to take part in an actual conflict somewhere around the globe. A RIMPAC web site containing details regarding exercise activities and imagery from exercise operations is still active and can be located at www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac2000.
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