PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Chief Petty Officer Alexandra O'Brien, a native of San Diego, California, serves aboard USS Fitzgerald, a U.S. Navy warship operating out of San Diego, and participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in and around the Hawaiian Islands.
O'Brien graduated from Rim of the World High School in 2007.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in San Diego.
“I learned to be independent because nobody is going to care about me more than I do,” said O'Brien. "Having a strong will and being resilient has helped me along the way."
O'Brien joined the Navy 17 years ago. Today, O'Brien serves as a logistics specialist.
“I joined the Navy to do something impactful and bigger than myself with my life,” said O'Brien.
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.
O'Brien plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC has made it a lot easier to network and fill high-priority orders and jobs,” said O'Brien.
O'Brien 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 representing our country and having the ability to protect our home,” said O'Brien.
O'Brien is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank my husband, David, and three children, Ben, Bobo and Bailey, for being supportive and understanding why I am away,” said O'Brien.
O'Brien graduated from Rim of the World High School in 2007.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in San Diego.
“I learned to be independent because nobody is going to care about me more than I do,” said O'Brien. "Having a strong will and being resilient has helped me along the way."
O'Brien joined the Navy 17 years ago. Today, O'Brien serves as a logistics specialist.
“I joined the Navy to do something impactful and bigger than myself with my life,” said O'Brien.
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.
O'Brien plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC has made it a lot easier to network and fill high-priority orders and jobs,” said O'Brien.
O'Brien 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 representing our country and having the ability to protect our home,” said O'Brien.
O'Brien is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank my husband, David, and three children, Ben, Bobo and Bailey, for being supportive and understanding why I am away,” said O'Brien.
O'Brien is looking toward the future with plans to continue their studies.
"I look forward to getting my bachelor's degree in business management and buying more properties," added O'Brien.
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/
"I look forward to getting my bachelor's degree in business management and buying more properties," added O'Brien.
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/