PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Petty Officer 2nd Class Davin Stephens, a native of Newnan, Georgia, 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.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Marissa Johnson |
Stephens graduated from Northgate High School in 2022.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Newnan.
“I learned how to work growing up in Newnan, Georgia, and being raised by two parents who knew the value of it,” said Stephens.
Stephens joined the Navy two years ago. Today, Stephens serves as an information systems technician.
“I joined the Navy so I could see the world and work towards a degree in cyber security,” said Stephens.
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.
Stephens plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC has been fun for me because this is my first time in Hawaii and getting to talk to people from foreign navies has been eye-opening,” said Stephens. "The best thing I noticed when talking to peple from the other navies is that we are not all that different and we are working toward the same goal. It is my job during RIMPAC to maintain our ship's network and computers."
Stephens 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 fortunate to defend the United States and having the opportunity to see other countries while doing it,” said Stephens.
Stephens is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my parents, Nick and Jessica, for always being supportive,” added Stephens. "They actually talked me into joining because they knew it would be a good career and life choice for me. They were right."
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/
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Newnan.
“I learned how to work growing up in Newnan, Georgia, and being raised by two parents who knew the value of it,” said Stephens.
Stephens joined the Navy two years ago. Today, Stephens serves as an information systems technician.
“I joined the Navy so I could see the world and work towards a degree in cyber security,” said Stephens.
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.
Stephens plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC has been fun for me because this is my first time in Hawaii and getting to talk to people from foreign navies has been eye-opening,” said Stephens. "The best thing I noticed when talking to peple from the other navies is that we are not all that different and we are working toward the same goal. It is my job during RIMPAC to maintain our ship's network and computers."
Stephens 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 fortunate to defend the United States and having the opportunity to see other countries while doing it,” said Stephens.
Stephens is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my parents, Nick and Jessica, for always being supportive,” added Stephens. "They actually talked me into joining because they knew it would be a good career and life choice for me. They were right."
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/