PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Petty Officer 3rd Class Zepeng Dou, a native of San Diego, California, 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.
 |
| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Marissa Johnson |
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in San Diego.
“I learned that patience is so important,” said Dou. "In the Navy, if you are patient, eventually the good opportunities will present themselves, but it may take a while before someone notices your efforts."
Dou joined the Navy four years ago. Today, Dou serves as a retail services specialist.
“I joined the Navy because I wanted a real job and a career that offered stability and benefits,” said Dou. "I know for sure I made the right decision."
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.
Dou plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC is a great exercise because we get to interact with navies from different countries,” said Dou. "This is a great career experience for all of us."
Dou serves a Navy that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock, promoting the nation's prosperity and security.
“It took me two years to get through the background check to join the Navy, so serving is very important to me,” said Dou. "I'm proud every day to be a U.S. Navy sailor. Serving this country takes care of my family.
Dou is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my wife, Feifan Wuan, and my two children, for supporting me,” added Dou. "When I have to be away she never complains and takes great care of our children, our home, and our family business."
“I want to do 20 years and retire from the Navy,” said Dou. "I have a trucking business and I will definitely keep working at that."
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/