RIMPAC 2016, the Pacific military exercise anchored off Hawaii, begins Thursday with 26 nations participating in the war games that cover the Hawaiian Island and southern California, reported
KHON-TV.
The biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise, which will run until Aug. 4, will include 45 ships, five submarines, more than 200 aircraft, and 25,000 military personnel. Denmark, Germany, and Italy, will be taking part for the first time, said the station's news site.
"The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans," said a
U.S. Navy release.
The training exercise has faced complaints from Hawaii residents and environmentalists who charged that the war games harm the ocean and marine life, said the
Huffington Post.
David Henkin, an attorney with Earthjustice, which represents environmental groups, told the Post that the Navy's own estimates revealed that the trainings may have inadvertently killed 155 marine mammals and injured approximately 2,000 over a five year period.
RIMPAC 2016 will include an advanced submarine rescue exercise, a harpoon missile launch from a U.S. Navy littoral combat ship, disaster relief practices, maritime security operations, sea control, and complex war-fighting.
In two drills, the decommissioned USS Thach and USS Crommelin will be fired at with missiles and torpedoes until they sink.
China will be participating in the exercise for the second time.
Other countries participating in the exercise are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom.
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