By
Navy Office of Community Outreach
PEARL HARBOR – A 2006 North Star High School graduate and
Havre, Montana 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 1st Class Angel Grant is an intelligence specialist
aboard USS America, currently operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Navy intelligence specialists assist in
every phase of the planning, collection, processing, analysis, and
dissemination of intelligence information.
“The intelligence we put out saves
lives,” said Grant. “We have a specific
meaningful purpose.”
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.
“I’ve been particularly excited about this opportunity. We’ve just come out of a lengthy period of maintenance,” said Capt. Michael W. Baze, Commanding Officer of USS America. “Our sailors knew this was coming and that it is a unique experience to exercise our abilities while building our connections with allies. RIMPAC gives us the opportunity to strengthen our bond with these navies in addition to sending a message to the world about our collective strength. Our crew is mostly under the age of 30 and something like this offers a tremendous opportunity for them.”
“I like being underway,” said Grant. “It can be a beautiful view; I've also gone to
many different countries, met different people and eaten different foods.”
Challenging living conditions build strong fellowship among
the crew, Grant explained. The crew is highly motivated, and quickly adapt to
changing conditions. It is a busy life of specialized work, watches, and
drills.
“I'm contributing to those who are saving lives,” said
Grant. “The staff I'm on directs seven
different ships. We make sure they are all prepped for deployment, manned and
trained.”
Additional information about Rim of the Pacific Exercise is
available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/