PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Hazell, a native of Summerville, South Carolina, serves aboard USS Somerset, 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.
Hazell graduated from Cane Bay High School in 2014. Additionally, Hazell graduated from Clemson University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Summerville.
“Growing up, I learned that the first thing you see is not always the best thing,” said Hazell. “They always encouraged us in school to go above and beyond our normal limits, which is what the Navy asks of you every day.”
Hazell joined the Navy four years ago. Today, Hazell serves as a cryptologic technician (collection).
“I joined the Navy during COVID-19 because there were not a lot of job opportunities,” said Hazell. ”There are times I wish I had come into the Navy as an officer, but overall I’m happy with the choice I made to serve.”
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.
Hazell plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC has been a good experience so far,” said Hazell. “We just got here, but already it’s amazing to see all of these foreign navies coming together for a common purpose.”
Hazell 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 the opportunity to go to different countries and connect with other people from other backgrounds,” said Hazell. “We can show that if the underdogs speak up, amazing things will happen.”
Hazell is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank Chief Warrant Officer 2 Leshawn Horne and my entire division for always being there for me,” added Hazell.
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/
Hazell graduated from Cane Bay High School in 2014. Additionally, Hazell graduated from Clemson University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Summerville.
“Growing up, I learned that the first thing you see is not always the best thing,” said Hazell. “They always encouraged us in school to go above and beyond our normal limits, which is what the Navy asks of you every day.”
Hazell joined the Navy four years ago. Today, Hazell serves as a cryptologic technician (collection).
“I joined the Navy during COVID-19 because there were not a lot of job opportunities,” said Hazell. ”There are times I wish I had come into the Navy as an officer, but overall I’m happy with the choice I made to serve.”
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.
Hazell plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC has been a good experience so far,” said Hazell. “We just got here, but already it’s amazing to see all of these foreign navies coming together for a common purpose.”
Hazell 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 the opportunity to go to different countries and connect with other people from other backgrounds,” said Hazell. “We can show that if the underdogs speak up, amazing things will happen.”
Hazell is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I want to thank Chief Warrant Officer 2 Leshawn Horne and my entire division for always being there for me,” added Hazell.
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/