PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Seaman Apprentice Anthony Molina Arias, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, serves aboard USS Fitzgerald, 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.
Molina Arias graduated from Julius L. Chambers High School in 2023.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Charlotte.
“Growing up in Charlotte taught me to be tough and be the bigger person,” said Molina Arias. “You learn quickly who to trust and who not to and you have to be aware of what is going on around you, and it taught me how to interact with people from different backgrounds. That is huge in the Navy because so many people are from somewhere else.”
Molina Arias joined the Navy one year ago. Today, Molina Arias serves as a cryptologic technician (collection).
“I joined the Navy because I was working a lot of different jobs and it seemed like every older person I worked with had stopped moving up and become stagnant, and I didn’t want that for my life,” said Molina Arias.
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.
Molina Arias plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC is pretty awesome,” said Molina Arias. “It’s awesome seeing all of these different countries coming together for this event. All of these walks of life in one place is amazing.”
Molina Arias 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 the smartest decision I’ve ever made,” said Molina Arias. “I take great pride in it.”
Molina Arias is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my friends back home and my mother, Lesly Arias,” added Molina Arias. “She has always been there for me and supported my decision.”
Molina Arias plans to continue their education.
“I would like to get a bachelor’s degree,” said Molina Arias. “I’m not sure what degree I want to pursue, but thankfully the Navy has given me the time needed to think about it.”
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/
Molina Arias graduated from Julius L. Chambers High School in 2023.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Charlotte.
“Growing up in Charlotte taught me to be tough and be the bigger person,” said Molina Arias. “You learn quickly who to trust and who not to and you have to be aware of what is going on around you, and it taught me how to interact with people from different backgrounds. That is huge in the Navy because so many people are from somewhere else.”
Molina Arias joined the Navy one year ago. Today, Molina Arias serves as a cryptologic technician (collection).
“I joined the Navy because I was working a lot of different jobs and it seemed like every older person I worked with had stopped moving up and become stagnant, and I didn’t want that for my life,” said Molina Arias.
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.
Molina Arias plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC is pretty awesome,” said Molina Arias. “It’s awesome seeing all of these different countries coming together for this event. All of these walks of life in one place is amazing.”
Molina Arias 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 the smartest decision I’ve ever made,” said Molina Arias. “I take great pride in it.”
Molina Arias is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank my friends back home and my mother, Lesly Arias,” added Molina Arias. “She has always been there for me and supported my decision.”
Molina Arias plans to continue their education.
“I would like to get a bachelor’s degree,” said Molina Arias. “I’m not sure what degree I want to pursue, but thankfully the Navy has given me the time needed to think about it.”
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/