PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Wright, a native of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, serves aboard USS Carl Vinson, a U.S. Navy warship operating out of San Diego, California, and participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in and around the Hawaiian Islands.
Wright graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 2013.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Broken Arrow.
“I learned growing up to never look at any job as being beneath me,” said Wright. “Every job is important, even if you don’t realize it at the time. That is very true in the Navy because even though you’re cleaning tables on the mess decks, you are contributing to the mission.”
Wright joined the Navy 10 years ago. Today, Wright serves as an air traffic controller.
“I joined the Navy to give myself career opportunities,” said Wright.
As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, approximately 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel will participate in RIMPAC 2024. This exercise 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 2024 marks the 29th exercise in a series that began in 1971.
The theme of RIMPAC 2024 is “Partners: Integrated and Prepared.” 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.
Wright plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC is an exciting exercise,” said Wright. “I’d always heard about RIMPAC, but never had the opportunity to be involved and I’m so grateful to be here now.”
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Marissa Johnson |
Wright graduated from Broken Arrow High School in 2013.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Broken Arrow.
“I learned growing up to never look at any job as being beneath me,” said Wright. “Every job is important, even if you don’t realize it at the time. That is very true in the Navy because even though you’re cleaning tables on the mess decks, you are contributing to the mission.”
Wright joined the Navy 10 years ago. Today, Wright serves as an air traffic controller.
“I joined the Navy to give myself career opportunities,” said Wright.
As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, approximately 29 nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel will participate in RIMPAC 2024. This exercise 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 2024 marks the 29th exercise in a series that began in 1971.
The theme of RIMPAC 2024 is “Partners: Integrated and Prepared.” 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.
Wright plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC is an exciting exercise,” said Wright. “I’d always heard about RIMPAC, but never had the opportunity to be involved and I’m so grateful to be here now.”
Wright serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation’s prosperity and security.
“Serving in the Navy means being part of something bigger than myself,” said Wright. “After 10 years, I’m still proud to put on this uniform every day.”
Wright is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my wife, Chante, for everything she does for me and our family,” added Wright. “She takes care of our home and our four children, often by herself, and she is amazing. I want to thank my father, Willie, who served on board USS Abraham Lincoln, and has been there for me throughout my Navy career.”
Wright plans to continue serving in the Navy and is looking ahead to the future.
“I eventually want to retire from the Navy and move back to Oklahoma to be close to my family,” said Wright.
Hosted by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, RIMPAC 2024 will be led by Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, Vice Adm. John Wade, who will serve as Combined Task Force (CTF) commander. For the first time in RIMPAC history, a member of the Chilean Navy, Commodore Alberto Guerrero, will serve as deputy commander of the CTF. Rear Adm. Kazushi Yokota of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will serve as vice commander. Other key leaders of the multinational force will include Commodore Kristjan Monaghan of Canada, who will command the maritime component, and Air Commodore Louise Desjardins of Australia, who will command the air component.
During RIMPAC, a network of capable, adaptive partners train and operate together in order to strengthen their collective forces and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. RIMPAC 2024 contributes to the increased interoperability, resiliency and agility needed by the Joint and Combined Force to deter and defeat aggression by major powers across all domains and levels of conflict.
More information about RIMPAC is available here: https://www.cpf.navy.mil/RIMPAC/