PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Petty Officer 3rd Class Connor Hanrahan, a native of Thousand Oaks, 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.
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| Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Marissa Johnson |
Hanrahan graduated from Thousand Oaks High School in 2021.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Thousand Oaks.
“I learned early on that being in good company makes life easier,” said Hanrahan. "I also learned to be cool-headed, which has been good in the Navy, because sometimes you have to work with people you don't necessarily agree with or like, but you have to keep your cool to get the job done."
Hanrahan joined the Navy three years ago. Today, Hanrahan serves as an interior communications electrician.
“I joined the Navy so I could experience something that not many people do,” said Hanrahan. "It goes beyond traveling and making a living. Serving in the Navy has given me invaluable life experience."
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.
Hanrahan plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC is hard work, but a lot of fun,” said Hanrahan. "It has been a great learning experience meeting people from other navies and seeing that we are not all that different."
Hanrahan 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 I have a greater chance of being successful in life,” said Hanrahan.
Hanrahan is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank former Electrician’s Mate 2nd Class Mike Miser and former Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Santos, who both showed me not only how to be a good sailor, but a good person,” added Hanrahan."
“I am trying to get certified as an EMT and I would like to be a firefighter when I leave the Navy next year,” said Hanrahan.
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/