By Navy Office of
Community Outreach
PEARL
HARBOR – A 2004 Cy-Fair High School graduate and Cypress, Texas native is
serving in the U.S. Navy and is participating in the world’s largest
international maritime warfare exercise, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise
(RIMPAC).
Petty
Officer 3rd Class Steven Nichols is a religious program specialist aboard USS
San Diego, currently operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
A Navy religious program specialist is responsible for assisting
the chaplains with clerical work and delivering religious needs and rights to sailors aboard the ship.
“I look
forward to exploring the local culture and networking with other chaplains’
offices during RIMPAC,” said Nichols.
According
to Navy officials, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps
participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to
ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC
2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
The
theme of RIMPAC 2016 is "Capable, Adaptive, Partners," Navy officials
explained. The participating nations and forces will 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 amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air
defense exercises, as well as counter-piracy, mine clearance operations,
explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations.
The
Department of the Navy's Great Green Fleet yearlong initiative will also play a
major role in RIMPAC. The initiative highlights global operations using energy
conservation measures and alternative fuel blends to demonstrate how optimizing
energy use increases resiliency and operational readiness. During RIMPAC,
almost all participating units will operate using an approved alternate-fuel
blend.
26
nations, 45 surface ships, 5 submarines, 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, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia,
Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, People's Republic of China, Peru, the
Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga,
the United Kingdom and the United States.
“This is a great opportunity for us to come together as a team within the ship doing the mission the nation expects us to be able to accomplish,” said Capt. Carl Meuser, commanding officer aboard USS San Diego. “I enjoy leading young sailors and watching them develop, and not just as sailors, but as young men and women. RIMPAC has tremendous resources to support all of the platforms involved. Cruisers and destroyers will be shooting weapons, the air wing has evolutions going on and the Marines are out with us conducting amphibious operations.”
“Sailors
have a chemistry among them aboard this ship,” said Nichols.
Challenging
living conditions build strong fellowship among the crew, Nichols explained.
The crew is highly motivated, and quickly adapt to changing conditions. It is a
busy life of specialized work, watches, and drills.
“While serving in the Navy, I've
grown more self-aware of my relationships with my religion, family and
friends,” said Nichols.
Additional
information about Rim of the Pacific Exercise is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/