By Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist John Osborne, Navy Office of Community Outreach
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Lt. j.g. Jasper Lugo, a native of Corvallis, Oregon, serves aboard USS Gridley, a U.S. Navy warship operating out of Everett, Washington, and participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in and around the Hawaiian Islands.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Isaiah Williams |
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Corvallis.
“I learned leadership skills growing up by doing martial arts and learning by the examples my parents and grandfather set,” said Lugo. “I learned a good appreciation for the world by growing up around the people I did. That led to a good understanding of people, which has helped me with my sailors.”
Lugo joined the Navy three years ago. Today, Lugo serves as the main propulsion officer aboard Gridley.
“I joined the Navy because I come from a family that has served,” said Lugo. “My grandfather, Capt. Frank Lugo, was a surface warfare officer and he talked me into going down the same road.”
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.
Lugo plays an important role in the exercise.
“I stand Officer of the Deck watch, so I get a great chance to talk with our partners,” said Lugo. “I think RIMPAC is a great opportunity to work with our partners. We transited out here with all the other navies and to see our interoperability with them has been amazing.”
Lugo 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 is a great opportunity to give back to my country,” said Lugo. “It’s a big organization and by doing my small part, I can have an impact on how things go.”
Lugo is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my wife, Sarah, for being able to support me throughout my career,” added Lugo. “She gives me a good foundation and it allows me to be successful. We have a son due in a few months and we are excited. I definitely owe a big thank you to my grandfather. My department heads on board the ship and my junior sailors have been instrumental in my success. You expect to be mentored by other officers, but sailors from all levels have taught me a lot.”
Lugo isn’t sure what the future holds.
“I’m on the fence about staying in the Navy,” said Lugo. “The Navy has given my wife and me stability and now I have a good foundation.”
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/