What are India's elite marine commandos doing in Hawaii?

By Anish Kumar | First Published Jul 10, 2022, 5:22 PM IST

Around 25,000 personnel, 170 aircraft, 38 ships and four submarines from 26 nations are participating in RIMPAC 2022 from June 29 to August 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. This is the 28th edition of RIMPAC, the world's largest international maritime exercise.

Indian marine commandos are taking part in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 exercises, which saw them rub shoulders against counterparts from Germany, South Korea and the United States. Around 25,000 personnel, 170 aircraft, 38 ships and four submarines from 26 nations are taking part in RIMPAC 2022 from June 29 to August 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.

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This is the 28th edition of RIMPAC, the world's largest international maritime exercise. The exercises are aimed at enhancing interoperability and building trust among navies of friendly foreign countries.

The countries participating in the six-week-long intense exercise include four Quad nations -- Australia, India, Japan and the United States -- and five nations bordering the South China Sea -- Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore -- that have military disputes with China.

It must be noted that the South China Sea is the one of the world's most turbulent areas for military confrontation. The Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei have been competing with China over claims on the South China Sea, while Indonesia has witnessed naval tension with Beijing in the past.

The exercise, which will conclude on August 4, will see the participation of 38 warships, four submarines, 170 aircraft and over 25,000 personnel.

This is the 28th edition of the RIMPAC exercise that is being conducted when China has increasingly asserted its influence in the region, including militarizing islands in the Sea. It has been claiming an entire portion of the sea, which is being contested by its neighbouring countries.

The Quad nations have held two maritime exercises since 2020, and their leaders have met four-time since last year to deepen the ties.

What is the RIMPAC exercise?

As per the US Navy, the exercises include drills focusing on amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defence exercises, as well as counter-piracy operations, mine clearance operations, and explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and salvage operations. A network of capable, adaptive partners is training and operating together to strengthen their collective forces and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, it said.

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Countries participating in RIMPAC 2022

Besides the names above mentioned, 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 nations.

Indian Navy at RIMPAC 2022

INS Satpura and P8I maritime patrol aircraft are participating from the Indian Navy in the US Navy-led biennial exercise.

INS Satpura is an indigenously designed and built 6000-tonne guided missile stealth frigate equipped to seek and destroy adversaries in air, surface and underwater. It is a frontline unit of the Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam and is currently on an extended operational deployment in the 75th year of India's Independence.

Image: An Indian Marine Commando conducts live-fire lateral drills during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. Photograph: US Marine Corps

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