Monday, July 18, 2016

Manchester, Okla. native participates in world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise

By Navy Office of Community Outreach 

PEARL HARBOR – A 1984 Wakita High School graduate and Manchester, Oklahoma 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).

Capt. Carl Meuser is the commanding officer aboard USS San Diego, currently operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

A Navy commanding officer is responsible for the ship, its crew and all mission tasking and execution.

“RIMPAC is going to be a tremendous training opportunity for the entire ship,” said Meuser.  “We just finished the mobility certification period for the ship and then got underway with multiple ships, some from other countries, to sail here for this exercise.”

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 Meuser. “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.” 

Challenging living conditions build strong fellowship among the crew, Meuser explained. The crew is highly motivated, and quickly adapt to changing conditions. It is a busy life of specialized work, watches, and drills.

“The Navy has shown me that I can do a lot more than I ever thought I could,” said Meuser. “I enlisted in 1986 as a Navy journalist and after a number of tours I got a Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship. I grew up in an area that really prepared me to do all kinds of things, but it never crossed my mind growing up that I could succeed in the world at this level and become the commanding officer of a Navy warship.”

Additional information about Rim of the Pacific Exercise is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/