FORD ISLAND, Hawaii — First Naval Construction Regiment (1NCR) joined 10 partner nations during Rim of the Pacific 2026 (RIMPAC 2026) to sharpen communication coordination for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) operations, July 6–12.
The multinational effort centered on synchronized messaging, shared situational awareness, and coordinated public communication during a disaster response. Throughout the exercise, participating forces worked side by side to identify communication requirements, align public affairs procedures, and ensure the timely release of accurate information to audiences at home and abroad.
“It has been an amazing opportunity to not only work alongside our multinational partners, but showcase what the Seabees are capable of,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Steve Sherman, commodore of First Naval Construction Regiment. “By coming together, we have had a chance to improve our skills and strengthen our relationships to ensure when we are called upon, we can operate together.”
For 1NCR, the exercise offered a chance to show how disciplined communication planning drives mission success in complex HADR environments. Public affairs personnel and communication planners worked with counterparts from Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Peru, Indonesia, Canada, Singapore, and Germany to build common messaging themes, coordinate release procedures, and keep information flowing in step with the operational response.
That kind of coordination matters because effective communication during HADR operations builds trust, cuts through confusion, and helps affected populations understand what support is available. In a multinational setting, it also ensures partner nations speak with one voice clearly and consistently, while still respecting each country’s national authorities, cultural considerations, and operational requirements.
Not every hurdle was operational. For some partners, it came down to language.
“The language barrier was definitely the greatest challenge,” said Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Lt. Haruki Nakamura, Surface Warfare Group One. “Since this was a multinational exercise, we were required to communicate primarily in English. My English skills, as well as those of the other Japanese participants, are still developing, so there were times when we had difficulty communicating effectively with participants from other countries working in the same tent.”
Behind the scenes, public affairs staff and supplemental personnel kept the operation running: drafting talking points tied to HADR tasks and events, coordinating responses to media inquiries, preparing command information products to inform partner nations and the broader community about mission capabilities, and tracking the reach of photos, video, and stories generated throughout the exercise.
“The broader Seabee team had to be more inclusive than the entire U.S. Navy team,” said Sherman, who also served as deputy commander for the multinational HADR task force. “I feel like people have been very effective ambassadors, building relationships with a foreign partner and truly working side by side.”
The training underscored the value of bringing public affairs into HADR planning early. By coordinating communication across partner forces from the outset, the public affairs professionals involved helped ensure response efforts were backed by clear messaging, disciplined information sharing, and a shared understanding of communication objectives.
The exercise also surfaced small but telling cultural differences. When asked what he noticed about working styles across the partner nations, Nakamura pointed to the daily rhythm of the American team.
“I noticed that the American participants tended to begin work very early in the morning and finish earlier in the evening,” he said. “This may have been partly because they were responsible for coordinating and managing the exercise, but I also feel a clear distinction between working hours and personal time was maintained, and that it’s different from what we are accustomed to in Japan.”
RIMPAC 2026 provided a valuable venue for U.S and partner nation forces to strengthen interoperability and improve collective readiness for real-world humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.
RIMPAC supports the framework of a free and open Indo-Pacific strategy which is built upon our historic and cultural links to address the major security challenges, including illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, narcotics and human trafficking, humanitarian assistance and disaster response and helping develop the capability and capacity to mitigate disease and pandemics.
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.21.2026 22:46 |
| Story ID: | 570464 |
| Location: | FORD ISLAND, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
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