Indian marine commandos have been training alongside their American, South Korean, and German counterparts as part of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 exercises. RIMPAC 2022, which takes place in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California from June 29 to August 4, will involve over 25,000 soldiers, 170 aircraft, 38 ships, and four submarines from 26 different countries.
The largest international maritime exercise in the world, RIMPAC, is currently in its 28th edition. The drills are designed to improve communication and foster trust between the warships of friendly foreign nations.
Australia, India, Japan, and the United States are four of the Quad nations who are taking part in the rigorous six-week exercise, together with the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Singapore, five countries that border the South China Sea and have ongoing military issues with China.
It should be mentioned that one of the world’s most unstable regions for armed conflict is the South China Sea. While Indonesia has already experienced maritime friction with Beijing, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Brunei have been engaged in conflict with China over claims to the South China Sea.
Participating in the drill, which will end on August 4, will be 38 warships, four submarines, 170 planes, and more than 25,000 people.
The 28th RIMPAC exercise is being held at a time when China is stepping up its influence in the area by militarising islands in the South China Sea. It has been claiming an entire area of the sea, which its neighbouring nations are disputing.
Since 2020, the Quad nations have participated in two maritime exercises, and since last year, their leaders have met four times.
What is the RIMPAC exercise?
According to the US Navy, the drills cover amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine, and air defence, as well as counter-piracy, mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and recovery operations. It claimed that a network of competent, adaptable allies was training and working together to bolster their combined forces and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Countries participating in RIMPAC 2022
Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Israel, India, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom are other participating countries in addition to those already named.
Indian Navy at RIMPAC 2022
The Indian Navy is taking part in the biennial drill led by the US Navy using the INS Satpura and P8I maritime patrol aircraft.
The 6000-ton guided missile stealth frigate INS Satpura was conceived and constructed in-country and is outfitted to hunt down and destroy enemies on land, at sea, and in the air. In celebration of India’s 75th anniversary of independence, this front-line Eastern Fleet unit, stationed in Visakhapatnam, is now on an extended operational deployment.
