PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - Petty Officer 2nd Class Ray Radoc, a native of Poway, California, serves aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt, a U.S. Navy warship 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 1st Class Patricia Elkins, Navy Office of Community Outreach |
Radoc graduated from Poway High School in 2012 and joined the Navy four years ago.
“I joined the Navy to gain financial stability, career growth, and the structure needed to continue developing both personally and professionally,” Radoc said. “After earning a bachelor's degree in computer science, I decided military service would provide the opportunity to expand my career while serving my country.”
The skills and values needed to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Poway.
“Growing up in a community that valued education, family, and strong neighborhoods taught me the importance of hard work, responsibility, and giving back,” Radoc said.
Today, Radoc serves as a personnel specialist.
As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, 31 nations, approximately 40 surface ships, five submarines, 14 national land forces, over 140 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel will participate in RIMPAC 2026. 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 2026 marks the 30th exercise in a series that began in 1971.
The theme of RIMPAC 2026 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.
It is fitting that the world’s premier maritime exercise occurs as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary. For 250 years, the United States has built relationships with international partners based on trust, cooperation, and shared values. RIMPAC is where that trust is put into practice, strengthening the people-to-people relationships that are the bedrock of all the nations’ collective security.
Radoc plays an important role in the exercise.
“RIMPAC has been an incredible experience,” Radoc said. “One of the highlights was visiting other ships and having the opportunity to return aboard my previous ship, USS Shiloh (CG 67), before its upcoming decommissioning. Working in disbursing operations, I process military pay, travel reimbursements, allotments, advances, and other financial transactions that directly support our Sailors.”
Radoc 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 has given me structure, strengthened my leadership abilities, and helped me become more self-sufficient,” Radoc said.
Radoc is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.
“I would like to thank Logistics Specialist Senior Chief Carlos Cruz from USS Shiloh for taking me under his wing in HAZMAT and giving me opportunities to expand my knowledge beyond my normal responsibilities,” Radoc said. “I would also like to thank Yeoman First Class. Finally, I would like to thank Chief Navy Counselor Daniel Legocki for guiding me through the Career Navigator Program symposium several years ago, which helped me obtain orders back home to San Diego. One accomplishment I'm especially proud of is advancing from an undesignated Sailor to becoming a personnel specialist and earning the rank of petty officer second class in less than three years. I am excited to continue serving.”
Hosted by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, RIMPAC 2026 will be led by Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet, Rear Adm. Richard Meyer, who will serve as Combined Task Force (CTF) commander. Chile will fill the role of deputy commander of the CTF, and Japan will fill the role of vice commander. The Republic of Korea will command the maritime component, and Canada 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 2026 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/