Military Sealift Command ships and personnel are arriving in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii ahead of the start of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026 maritime exercise throughout the month of July.
MSC fleet replenishment oiler USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200) and the MSC dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) will provide logistics services including aviation fuel, diesel ship fuel, dry, fresh and frozen food, equipment and supplies to the ships participating in the exercise. MSC chartered and Fairwater-operated tanker ship MT Torm Thor will provide fuel to the MSC combat logistics ships during replenishment-at-sea events. The tanker replenishment events will allow the CLF ships to receive fuel at sea, enabling them to provide logistic services to exercise participants as needed, without delay.
Five members of Military Sealift Command Pacific’s (MSCPAC) Headquarters Unit will serve as watch standers, providing maritime logistics support to Commander, Task Force 173 (CTF 173). These reservists will provide comprehensive planning and coordination for each replenishment-at-sea conducted during the exercise, including arranging and coordinating rendezvous locations and times for MSCs CLF ships and the MSC chartered tanker.
In addition to the MSCPAC Headquarters Unit reservists, nine Strategic Sealift Officers (SSO) will also participate in this year’s RIMPAC exercise. Five SSOs will support the CTF 173 Operations Department and four will provide liaison support between the military commanders at Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet (C3F) and the commercial civilian merchant vessels participating in the exercise.
“RIMPAC is an exciting and dynamic exercise, and we at MSCPAC and CTF 33 are proud to be a part of it, and to support our Navy and foreign military partners,” said Capt. Dustin Lonero, commander, MSCPAC. “From our civil service mariner crews, to our teams on shore, to our Navy reservists, the MSC team is a group of highly trained and dedicated professionals, and I am confident that we will provide outstanding support and services through the extent of the exercise. I have every confidence the MSC team will have a very successful RIMPAC and will represent the command in the most positive of lights.”
Hosted biennially by Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT), and executed by C3F, RIMPAC is a multinational maritime exercise that takes place in and around the Hawaiian Islands. This year marks the 30th iteration of RIMPAC, a series that began in 1971. Thirty-one nations, 36 surface ships, 5 submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 206 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 24 to July 31. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2026 is the 30th exercise in the series that began in 1971.
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2026 14:05 |
| Story ID: | 568580 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 36 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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