PEARL HARBOR (Eagle News) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark Esper met with Admiral John Aquilino, commanding officer of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex on Wednesday, August 26. The Essex and 22 other vessels are taking part in the biennial Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) off of the Hawaiian Islands.
Secretary Esper toured the said ship and observed missile and gunfire from the neighboring ships USS Chung-Hoon and USS Lake Erie. He then had a private lunch with sailors from various departments and spoke to a socially-distanced group on the ship’s hangar deck.
”This ship has incredible capabilities,” Esper told the sailors. ”It is unique. So much so that the Chinese are trying to mimic its capabilities.”
”But they don’t have you,” he continued. ”They don’t have your commitment to service, your skills, your knowledge. They can’t compete with us at that level.”
The secretary mentioned that the Essex and her sister ships are in the Pacific to deter China and Russia in this era of great power competition.
”Your presence out here in the Indo-Pacific is all about making sure we compete with China and, if necessary, that you can fight and beat them anytime, anywhere,” he continued.
Dr. Esper further emphasized that the nations participating in RIMPAC learn from each other, and to the U.S. Navy ”as the standard bearer of what a great navy looks like, how a great navy acts, and performs and behaves.”
”You come from all parts of the country, or even outside the country,” he continued. ”You come from all walks of life, and [yet] you come together to fight as one team.”
”You’re part of the 1 percent who has chosen to do that: to risk your welfare and to sacrifice so that all 338 million other Americans can sleep safely and soundly at night,” Esper concluded. ”Thank you for what you do.”
RIMPAC 2020 has been scaled back in size and scope due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine other countries training this year include Australia, Brunei, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the Philippines, and Singapore. 22 ships, a submarine, and about 5,300 personnel are all participating in what is dubbed as the world’s largest maritime exercise, which will end on August 31.
(With reports from EBC Hawaii Bureau, Eagle News Service)