25,000 Participants Arriving in Hawai‘i for 2018 RIMPAC

Photo By Senior Chief Petty Officer Keith DeVinney | Ships and submarines participating in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise 2012 sail in formation in the waters around the Hawaiian islands. Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise from June 29 to Aug. 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Keith Devinney/RELEASED)

Dozens of ships from 25 nations are arriving in Pearl Harbor this month for the 26th Rim of the Pacific exercise 2018.

The RIMPAC events started on Wednesday and will be held in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California through Aug. 2, 2018.

Organizers say RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that strengthens international maritime partnerships, enhances interoperability and improves the readiness of participating forces for a wide range of potential operations.

The event will bring 25,000 personnel to Hawaiʻi and is expected to generate tens of millions of dollars in long-term economic benefit for Hawaiʻi.

RIMPAC is hosted by the US Pacific Fleet, headquartered here, and led by US 3rd Fleet. The exercise will be based at Navy Region Hawaiʻi, which includes Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, and the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauaʻi. Training will also be held at Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi and several other locations in the state.

FYI: Garage Door Openers Affected by Electromagnetic Activity

During RIMPAC some remotely operated garage door openers may be temporarily affected. This can occur if the device is a type that operates on frequencies reserved for federal government systems.

Remotely controlled garage door openers legally operate at a very low power on an unlicensed basis. Therefore, they can be affected by electromagnetic activity that is generated by Navy ships, civilian boaters or other sources.

Such devices may not work properly from time to time, especially if they are not pointed directly at the door. If that happens, drivers may have to remove the opener from their sun visor and point it directly at the door. If the opener still doesn’t work right, garage door owners may have to open and close their doors manually or consider other options for a short time.

The Navy is required to test commercial surface search radars in port prior to getting underway and as part of scheduled maintenance. Surface search radars are available commercially, used by civilian boaters and not a safety issue.