Ewa Beach Native Participates in World’s Largest
International Maritime Warfare Exercise
By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Electa Berassa,
Navy Office of Community Outreach
Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Senior Chief Gary Ward
PEARL HARBOR – A
2015 James
Campbell High School graduate and Ewa
Beach, Hawaii native is serving in
the U.S. Navy as part of the world’s largest international maritime warfare
exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
Midshipman 1st Class Kristina Ancheta
is training to be a surface warfare officer
at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
A Navy surface warfare officer is responsible for the
safe operation and maintenance of the ship.
Ancheta applies the
lessons she learned from Ewa Beach to her
work in the Navy.
“My father is enlisted in the Navy and sent me a
postcard from Dubai saying ‘Join the Navy, see the world,’” said Ancheta. “The Navy
offers a lot of opportunities and if we venture out we can see those
opportunies while gaining new experiences.”
As the world’s
largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training
opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative
relationships that are critical to ensuring safety at sea and security on the
world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in
1971.
The theme of
RIMPAC 2018 is Capable, Adaptive, Partners. The participating nations and
forces exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent
flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief
and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The
relevant, realistic training program includes, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine
and air defense exercises, as well as amphibious, counter-piracy, mine
clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage
operations.
“I look forward
to meeting sailors from other countries and
observing how the ships function in a battle scenario,” said Ancheta. “That
will be pretty exciting to see everyone work together.”
This is the first time Israel, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are
participating in RIMPAC. Additional firsts include New Zealand serving as sea
combat commander and Chile serving as combined force maritime component
commander. This is the first time a non-founding RIMPAC nation (Chile) will
hold a component commander leadership position.
“At the Academy we have leadership
classes with discussions and case studies about sailor life,” said Ancheta. “Taking
care of your people is a big deal so you stay humble about it. I can't work
alone, so I have learned the value of teamwork.”
Twenty-six
nations, 46 surface ships, five submarines, and more than 200 aircraft and
25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise.
This year's exercise includes forces from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile,
Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States
and Vietnam.
As a member of
the U.S. Navy, Ancheta and other sailors
know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing
the Navy the nation needs.
“Serving in the
Navy is a way of life,” said Ancheta. “It is one of the reasons that my family was
able to prosper. In a larger perspective, it means protecting the seas so that
people back home can be safe.”