PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristen Robinson, a native of Oakland, California, 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.
Robinson graduated from Skyline High School in 2013. Additionally, Robinson earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with an emphasis on biological sciences from Sacramento State University in 2018.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Oakland.
“I learned early on how to be resilient growing up in Oakland,” said Robinson. “I had to have a strong backbone where I could roll with the punches.”
Robinson joined the Navy four years ago. Today, Robinson serves as a hospital corpsman.
“I was a third-grade teacher before I joined the Navy and I felt like I needed a little more,” said Robinson. “I was originally going to join the Marine Corps, but my grandparents talked me into serving in the Navy, which my great-grandfather did in World War II.”
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.
Robinson plays an important role in the exercise.
“My job is to take care of the crew’s medical needs and administrative aspects that pertain to medical readiness,” said Robinson. “I am loving RIMPAC. I enjoy seeing all of the different sailors from different countries and learning how they go about things.”
Robinson 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 has been an enlightenment for me,” said Robinson. “You always hear about how such a small percentage of Americans serve, so we are all a tight-knit team and thrive on helping each other out.”
Robinson is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my wife, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Alessandra Vera, for putting up with me and supporting me in my career,” added Robinson. “I also want to thank my parents, Carla and Franklin Jones, and my grandparents, Alice and Charles Jones, for their unwavering support. I cannot forget my mentors, Master Chief Gas Turbine Systems Technician Dominique Howard and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Reid, for guiding me down the right career paths when I was heading down the wrong one.”
Robinson has plans for reaching the goals they’ve set for their naval career.
“I plan on applying for a commission to become a physician assistant or a nurse,” said Robinson. “If that doesn’t work, I will pursue a nursing degree when I go to shore duty.”
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/
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Isaiah Williams |
Robinson graduated from Skyline High School in 2013. Additionally, Robinson earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with an emphasis on biological sciences from Sacramento State University in 2018.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Oakland.
“I learned early on how to be resilient growing up in Oakland,” said Robinson. “I had to have a strong backbone where I could roll with the punches.”
Robinson joined the Navy four years ago. Today, Robinson serves as a hospital corpsman.
“I was a third-grade teacher before I joined the Navy and I felt like I needed a little more,” said Robinson. “I was originally going to join the Marine Corps, but my grandparents talked me into serving in the Navy, which my great-grandfather did in World War II.”
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.
Robinson plays an important role in the exercise.
“My job is to take care of the crew’s medical needs and administrative aspects that pertain to medical readiness,” said Robinson. “I am loving RIMPAC. I enjoy seeing all of the different sailors from different countries and learning how they go about things.”
Robinson 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 has been an enlightenment for me,” said Robinson. “You always hear about how such a small percentage of Americans serve, so we are all a tight-knit team and thrive on helping each other out.”
Robinson is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my wife, Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Alessandra Vera, for putting up with me and supporting me in my career,” added Robinson. “I also want to thank my parents, Carla and Franklin Jones, and my grandparents, Alice and Charles Jones, for their unwavering support. I cannot forget my mentors, Master Chief Gas Turbine Systems Technician Dominique Howard and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Reid, for guiding me down the right career paths when I was heading down the wrong one.”
Robinson has plans for reaching the goals they’ve set for their naval career.
“I plan on applying for a commission to become a physician assistant or a nurse,” said Robinson. “If that doesn’t work, I will pursue a nursing degree when I go to shore duty.”
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/