By Navy Office of
Community Outreach
PEARL
HARBOR – A 2013 Oscar Smith High School graduate and Norfolk, Virginia 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 Dequan Nichols is an operations specialist aboard USS San
Diego, currently operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
A Navy operations specialist is responsible for radar,
plotting the ship's course and handling message traffic aboard the ship.
“I look
forward to observing the ships during these exercises,” 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.”
“The
people onboard are close knit,” said Nichols. “They
take an interest in your goals, and there is always someone to help you reach
them.”
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.
“I like
to learn,” said Nichols. “I can interact
with anybody and communicate readily.”
Additional
information about Rim of the Pacific Exercise is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/