By
Navy Office of Community Outreach
PEARL HARBOR – A
2013 Hancock Place High School graduate and St. Louis 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).
Seaman Matt
Feeler is an operations specialist aboard USS Chung-Hoon, currently operating out
of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
A Navy
operations specialist is responsible for computer operations to track contacts
and maintain adversarial awareness.
“During RIMPAC I’m
getting my Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist qualification,” said Feeler.
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.
“RIMPAC demonstrates the value of capable maritime partners,” said Cmdr. Tom Ogden, commanding officer of USS Chung-Hoon. “It’s an honor for our sailors to participate in this unmatched exercise. Our crew looks forward to building relationships and interoperability with our partner nations.”
“These people aboard the ship are so good,” said Feeler. “We are the best at what we do.”
Challenging
living conditions build strong fellowship among the crew, Feeler explained. The
crew is highly motivated, and quickly adapt to changing conditions. It is a
busy life of specialized work, watches, and drills.
“In the Navy
I’ve learned how to stay awake longer,” said Feeler. “When I'm off duty I also work on school
through the Navy college. This is my career.”
Additional
information about Rim of the Pacific Exercise is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/