Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Theodore Quintana
PEARL HARBOR – A 2012 Scripps Ranch High School graduate and San Diego native is serving in the U.S. Navy as part of the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).
Petty Officer 2nd Class Benedict Rosal is a fire controlman aegis aboard USS Dewey, currently operating out of San Diego. A Navy fire controlman aegis is responsible for the aegis weapon system and spy radar. Fire controlmen are the first line of defense for any air contacts.
Rosal applies the lessons he learned from San Diego to his work in the Navy.
“My father was a 20-year veteran in the Navy, so I was a few steps ahead of what was expected and was able to know what I was going into,” said Rosal.
As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring safety at sea and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
The theme of RIMPAC 2018 is Capable, Adaptive, Partners. The participating nations and forces 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, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as amphibious, counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations.
“I am looking forward to being able to see as close as possible what war games would be like in real life,” said Rosal.
This is the first time Israel, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are participating in RIMPAC. Additional firsts include New Zealand serving as sea combat commander and Chile serving as combined force maritime component commander. This is the first time a non-founding RIMPAC nation (Chile) will hold a component commander leadership position.
“My proudest achievement was being awarded the Destroyer Squadron One Sailor of the Quarter in 2017,” said Rosal.
Twenty-six nations, 46 surface ships, five submarines, and 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, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, Rosal and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“I have learned that my limits are way further than I expected,” said Rosal
Additional information about RIMPAC is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil