RIMPAC 2026 Maritime Exercise Begins in Hawaii

The Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026 exercise began on 24 June 2026 and is scheduled to continue until 31 July 2026. The 30th edition of the exercise is taking place in and around the Hawaiian Islands, with 30 participating nations, about 30 surface ships, 5 submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 206 aircraft, and over 30,000 personnel.

RIMPAC as a Multinational Naval Exercise

RIMPAC is a biennial maritime exercise led by the United States Pacific Fleet. It is the world’s largest international maritime exercise and includes naval, air, and land components from multiple countries. The exercise is held in the Pacific Ocean region, with Hawaii as the main operating area.

Command Structure and Participating Forces

The Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet serves as the Combined Task Force commander for RIMPAC 2026. Chile is the deputy commander, and Japan is the vice commander of the Combined Task Force. The Republic of Korea commands the maritime component, and Canada leads the air component during the exercise.

Important Facts for Exams

• RIMPAC stands for Rim of the Pacific.
• The 2026 edition is the 30th iteration of the exercise.
• RIMPAC 2026 includes amphibious operations, anti-submarine warfare, air defence, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
• Live-fire training involving United States Marines and Mexican marines took place at Marine Corps Base Hawaii on 27 June 2026.

Operational Activities and Training Areas

RIMPAC 2026 covers gunnery and missile proficiency, anti-submarine warfare, air defence, military medicine, counter-piracy, mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and salvage operations. An open ship day was held at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam during the exercise period.

Participation Pattern in RIMPAC 2026

Germany and France did not send vessels or contingents for RIMPAC 2026. The exercise has earlier seen variations in participation figures, including different counts for ships, aircraft, and personnel in preliminary announcements.