PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Petty Officer 3rd Class Gerardo Salgado, a native of Framingham, Massachusetts, 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.
Salgado graduated from Joseph P. Keefe High School in 2017.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Framingham.
“Growing up, I learned that opportunities are everywhere and not to close doors,” said Salgado.
Salgado joined the Navy three years ago. Today, Salgado serves as a boatswain's mate.
“I joined the Navy because during COVID the culinary industry collapsed and I saw the Navy as a good opportunity,” said Salgado.
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.
Salgado plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC has a lot of moving parts and causing my job to be a lot more busy,” said Salgado. “There is always something going on.”
Salgado 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 purpose and makes me feel like I'm doing something positive to impact my division and my command in general,” said Salgado.
Salgado is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank Chief Boatswain's Mate Bethea for helping bring structure and being a father figure to me early in my career,” added Salgado.
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/
Salgado graduated from Joseph P. Keefe High School in 2017.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Framingham.
“Growing up, I learned that opportunities are everywhere and not to close doors,” said Salgado.
Salgado joined the Navy three years ago. Today, Salgado serves as a boatswain's mate.
“I joined the Navy because during COVID the culinary industry collapsed and I saw the Navy as a good opportunity,” said Salgado.
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.
Salgado plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC has a lot of moving parts and causing my job to be a lot more busy,” said Salgado. “There is always something going on.”
Salgado 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 purpose and makes me feel like I'm doing something positive to impact my division and my command in general,” said Salgado.
Salgado is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank Chief Boatswain's Mate Bethea for helping bring structure and being a father figure to me early in my career,” added Salgado.
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/