Although 22 nations are participating in the largest-ever Rim of the Pacific exercise getting underway in Hawaii, media questions at an opening press conference Monday at Pearl Harbor focused primarily on just one: China.
Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr., head of U.S. Pacific Fleet, tried to point out the importance of all the participants.
"You know, you are all welcome to ask any questions that you want, and we’ll answer them to the best of our ability," Harris told the assemblage. "But we’ve taken six questions so far, and they’ve all been on China."
Harris added, "This is Brunei’s first time ever at RIMPAC, just like it’s China’s first time ever. And I don’t want to slight the other 20 countries that are here besides China and the United States. This is not about China and the United States. This is about 22 nations that are trying to work together to improve our multilateral operability and our transparency."
But the symbolism of China’s inaugural participation in RIMPAC — after bashing the war games two years ago — is undeniable as the United States, the reigning military power in Asia and the Pacific, attempts to cope with a rising China and its increasing claims in the East and South China seas.
China sent four ships: the missile destroyer Haikou, missile frigate Yueyang, supply ship Qiandaohu and hospital ship Peace Ark.
In all, 49 surface ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in war games, interoperability and humanitarian assistance exercises, and weapons-firing drills.
Two ships will be sunk, including the ex-Ogden and ex-Tuscaloosa. The Norwegian frigate Fridtjof Nansen will fire one of the country’s new Naval Strike Missiles at one of the retired ships.
Harris said China will be participating in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, ship gunnery, counterpiracy, search and rescue, diving and salvage, and military medicine.
The hope is to develop "increased transparency and better understanding of each other," Harris said.
"These events help us operate together when those crises arise that we may find ourselves in close coordination (in)," Harris added.
In a larger sense, China gains status on the world stage with its participation in the world’s largest international maritime exercise, and the United States can say it is not being exclusionary with the Asian power.
Harris also referenced the forces that are capable of "disrupting stability" in the region without mentioning China’s feuds with Vietnam and the Philippines.
"We can all appreciate that conflict and crisis are bad for business," Harris said. "I think it’s important to note that by simply attending RIMPAC, every nation here is making the bold statement that we must improve multinational military cooperation despite disagreements. I believe that we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable."
The U.S. Navy’s 3rd Fleet commander, Vice Adm. Kenneth E. Floyd — who is the RIMPAC combined task force commander — said the exercise, which runs to Aug. 1, will start in port with training ashore, briefs on the islands "and just getting to know each other."
A NUMBER of ship receptions will be held in crowded Pearl Harbor where some warships are three abreast and some sailors have to cross all three to get ashore.
"In about a week, all the ships you see around Pearl Harbor will get underway, and we’re going to start working together at sea, and that’s what RIMPAC is all about," Floyd said. "It’s going to be very valuable training, make no mistake there. It’s going to be really hard work."
Nine countries, seven ships and more than 1,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC off Southern California. RIMPAC contributes more than $52 million to Hawaii’s economy.
The National Defense Authorization Act of 2000 prohibits military-to-military contact with China if that contact would "create a national security risk" due to exposure to operational areas, including advanced combined-arms and joint combat operations.
Tuesday and Wednesday, China’s Peace Ark will participate in a medical orientation and a medical symposium with the U.S. hospital ship Mercy on topics ranging from clinical and operational medicine to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
On July 9 the Royal Brunei ships Darulaman and Darussalam; Chinese ships Haikou, Yueyang and Qiandaohu; French ship Prairial; Mexican ship Revolucion; U.S. Coast Guard cutter Waesche and U.S. Navy ships Port Royal and Gary will get underway to start their at-sea phase of RIMPAC.
Until July 30, when all ships return to port, the Haikou and Yueyang will conduct ship maneuvering with other vessels, replenishment at sea, dive training with U.S. divers, large-caliber gunnery practice, ship-boarding using small boats and a helicopter, and counterpiracy operations, including preventing other vessels from approaching and boarding.
As part of a conflict simulation, the Hawaiian Islands were divided into four fictional "Coaster Islands" countries: Griffon, Orion, Yolo and Pandora, according to December RIMPAC planning slides.
Oahu and Kauai are part of Griffon, while Maui, Lanai and Molokai are Yolo. Hawaii island is Orion, and Pandora is delineated by a sea area to the west of Kauai.
Griffon, a liberal democratic republic, is the economic driver in the region and has strong ties to the RIMPAC nations.
Orion is a military dictatorship that was the result of a military coup that took place in the early 1990s. Orion has the strongest military within the Coaster Islands and is led by an expansionist regime.
Piracy within the region is on the rise, as are hostilities by Orion toward Griffon. Orion harassment of Griffon shipping includes detaining merchant vessels, siphoning of refined oil products and eventually firing upon and sinking vessels.
This year’s RIMPAC, the 24th in the series that began in 1971, includes units from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, China, Peru, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Thailand was uninvited after its recent coup.
