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/