A pared-down RIMPAC ends with missile muscle flexing

A trio of Harpoon antiship missiles slammed low into the hull of the former USS Durham in quick succession Sunday in a “sink exercise” that despite coronavirus impacts, wrapped up RIMPAC off Hawaii with a big bang.

Rim of the Pacific 2020 — normally the world’s largest international maritime exercise — technically concluded Monday following a coronavirus-reduced two weeks of at-sea-only training. The exercise normally runs over a month.

“RIMPAC 2020 was certainly a success,” said U.S. Vice Adm. Scott Conn, the exercise commander. “We learned from one another, we sailed alongside each other, and deepened our trust in each other.”

The participants included Australia, Brunei, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore and the United States. As a COVID-19 precaution, visiting sailors were not allowed off their ships or the adjacent pier during food and fuel stops in Pearl Harbor.

“Our formidable team of capable, adaptive partners has spent the last two weeks demonstrating that we have the resolve and ability to operate together in these challenging times,” Conn said.

Some ships returned to Pearl Harbor for food and fuel Monday before they start to head away from Hawaii. The U.S. Navy reported no cases of COVID-19 among participants.

This year’s event included 53 replenishment-at-sea events, 101 pallets of cargo distributed, over 16,000 rounds of small arms munitions shot, over 1,000 large caliber weapons fired, 13 missiles launched, and 1,100 pounds of mail delivered, the Navy said.

RIMPAC provides a venue for like-minded nations to fire some of their most advanced missiles, and even though far fewer countries participated — just 10, compared to 25 in 2018, the last time the exercise was held — that emphasis was still clear, reflecting the “great power” competition the United States and allies are engaged in with China and Russia.

The Pearl Harbor destroyer Chung-Hoon and cruiser Lake Erie out of San Diego, along with the Australian destroyer Hobart, fired SM-2 missiles against BQM-74 drones that replicate enemy cruise missile threats.

Missiles with ever-­increasing range are redefining potential warfare, with Chinese and U.S. advances extending battlefield standoff distances and requiring entirely new strategies to deal with the threat.

Canada’s Regina fired two Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Australia’s Stuart also fired two in RIMPAC. The venerable Harpoon was first deployed in 1977 and is in service with more than 30 nations.

Canadian and Australian ships also launched Evolved Seasparrow Missiles, shorter-range interceptors that work in concert with the SM-2.

Each of the Harpoon, SM-2 and Seasparrow missiles costs $1 million or more.

The frigate Regina out of Canada was among nations participating in the “sink exercise” or SINKEX, involving the former USS Durham, a 575-foot amphibious cargo ship that saw service in the Vietnam War and participated in the evacuation of Saigon in 1975.

“Simulation is a critical part of our training, but there is nothing better than to conduct live fire training,” Royal Australian Navy Capt. Phillipa Hay, commander of RIMPAC Task Force One, said in a Navy-produced news story. “Sinking exercises are an important way to test our weapons and weapons systems in the most realistic way possible. It demonstrates as a joint force we are capable of high-end warfare.”

Harpoon and smaller Hellfire missiles were fired at Durham, along with a Mk-48 torpedo that usually speeds up the sinking, the Navy said.

Live fire from ships and aircraft from the United States, Australia, Canada and Brunei sent the ship to the bottom in waters at least 15,000 feet deep about 70 miles northwest of Kauai, said Cmdr. John Fage, a RIMPAC spokesman.

RIMPAC 2020 was originally planned to have 30 countries, more than 50 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel.

Four thousand of those personnel were going to operate ashore. Most of it would have occurred in Hawaii, but also in Southern California.

A pared-down version of the interoperability drills and innovation and experimentation tests ran Aug. 17 through Monday — less than half the usual time. And minus the innovation and experimentation.

Ten nations, 22 ships, one submarine and approximately 5,300 personnel participated in the at-sea-only version of the exercise.