All eyes are on China

Two years ago, the Rimpac manoeuvre was rather small due to the pandemic. The growing threat from China will bring the 27 participating nations closer together again in 2022.

Rimpac (Rim of the Pacific), the world's largest large-scale multinational maritime manoeuvre, has been taking place every two years in the Western Pacific region around Hawaii since 1971. It is planned and organised by the Commander US Pacific Fleet. While 26 nations took part in 2018 with a large contingent of naval and naval air forces, aircraft and a total of around 25,000 soldiers, Rimpac 2020 only took place with ten nations on a very limited scale due to the coronavirus pandemic. The manoeuvre was shortened from six to two weeks and was limited exclusively to manoeuvres at sea. The usual involvement of land units, amphibious operations and US Marine Corps exercises was cancelled due to the widespread spread of the virus.

Presentation of maritime power

With 45 participating ships, four submarines, 170 aircraft and 25,000 soldiers from 27 nations, this year's manoeuvre, which will last until 4 August, is once again as large as before the pandemic. The German Navy took part in Rimpac for the first time in 2016 and again in 2018 with mine divers from the naval battalion and soldiers from the naval shipping command. In 2022, the Germans will once again be involved with mine divers and boarding teams as well as the naval shipping command.
The defensive, multinational Rimpac manoeuvres traditionally serve to showcase the maritime power that the USA, as the still dominant naval power in the Western Pacific, plans and carries out together with the Pacific littoral states and European NATO states. Particular emphasis will be placed on the ability for multinational co-operation at sea. Overall, all nations participating in Rimpac are to be given the opportunity to conduct joint maritime operations in an interoperable manner in order to contribute to maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region. At the same time, Rimpac is intended to act as a counterweight to China's maritime expansion in the Western Pacific.