Pacific: U.S. holds world’s largest naval drills with 26 nations, 25,000 troops, 38 ships, 170 warplanes

Nikkei Asia
June 30, 2022

U.S. kicks off 26-nation Pacific naval exercise without Taiwan
RIMPAC will include 25,000 personnel in monthlong drill

The U.S. started hosting the world’s largest joint naval exercises with one notable absentee – Taiwan.

This year’s edition of the U.S. Navy-led RIMPAC, or the Rim of the Pacific exercises, began Wednesday in Hawaii with 26 partner nations participating. The drills, which run through Aug. 4, will involve roughly 25,000 personnel.

The exercises serve as an opportunity for the U.S. to put on a show of multilateral cooperation against the threat from China. U.S. lawmakers had recommended that President Joe Biden’s administration include Taiwan in RIMPAC in this fiscal year’s National Defense Authorization Act.

But the odds that Taiwan would participate were slim from the start, due to the lack of time for it to prepare.

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RIMPAC conducts anti-submarine, air defense gunnery and missile exercises, among other activities. The drills will involve 38 vessels and more than 170 warplanes.

Among the list of participants are Japan, Australia, Great Britain, India, the Philippines, Thailand and the island nation of Tonga, according to the U.S. Navy….

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Australia is slated to dispatch its Warramunga frigate to RIMPAC while Japan will send its Izumo helicopter carrier and Canada its Vancouver frigate, according to the U.S. Naval Institute.