180724-N-OW019-1007 PACIFIC OCEAN (July 24, 2018) Sailors

180724-N-OW019-1007 PACIFIC OCEAN (July 24, 2018) Sailors assigned to the Royal Netherlands Navy, Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy prepare to launch combat rubber raiding crafts off stern gate of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), July 24, in support of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. Twenty-five nations, 46 ships, five submarines, about 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 27 to Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. 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 of the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Logan C. Kellums)