By
Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
PEARL HARBOR – A
2013 Erie High School graduate and Superior, Colorado 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 Homer Robes is a damage controlman aboard USS Chung-Hoon, currently
operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
A Navy damage
controlman is responsible for fire fighting and causalities, toxic gas
response, and safety training aboard the ship.
“We get to work
with different countries and see the global response to the RIMPAC exercise,”
said Robes.
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.”
“The best part of Chung-Hoon is the people,”
said Robes. “It’s the diversity. You gain so much knowledge from your
department and your division.”
Challenging
living conditions build strong fellowship among the crew, Robes explained. The
crew is highly motivated, and quickly adapt to changing conditions. It is a
busy life of specialized work, watches, and drills.
“Since joining
the Navy, I am more independent,” said Robes. “I am more open-minded. I’m more interested in knowing what's going
on in the world.”
Additional
information about Rim of the Pacific Exercise is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil/rimpac/