PH Navy joins Rimpac naval exercise, to deploy landing dock

Inquirer files

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Navy will deploy a landing dock for one of the world’s biggest naval exercises to be held in Hawaii, according to its spokesperson commander John Percie Alcos.

This vessel will be sent for the biennial Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) exercise scheduled June 26 to Aug. 2.

“We will be sending off one of our vessels,” Alcos told reporters in an interview in Taguig on Wednesday (May 22). “We will be sending a landing dock this time around.”

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The Philippines is among the 29 nations who will join the drills, according to the US Indo-Pacific Command.

“It is really important because all of the countries under the US alliance will be joining the Rim of the Pacific,” Alcos said.

“It is one of the biggest if not the largest naval exercise in the world,” he added. “So we have to be there.”

Over 25,000 personnel from these countries will participate with the drills but Alcos said could not yet give an exact number for the Philippines.

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Aside from the Philippines, this year’s drills includes forces from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“Rimpac 2024 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,” the US Indopacom said in a statement on May 21.