By: Margaret Padilla
Inihayag ng US Navy noong Miyerkules na hiniling nito ang Pilipinas na makibahagi sa biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) naval exercises, na magaganap mula Hunyo 30 hanggang Agosto 4 sa buong Hawaiian islands at southern California.
Inaasahang sasali ang Pilipinas at 25 iba pang bansa sa mga drills, na inilalarawan ng US Navy bilang “world’s largest international maritime exercise,” ayon sa ABS CBN News.
Sinabi ng US Navy fleet na, “RIMPAC 2022 contributes to the increased interoperability, resiliency and agility needed by the Joint and Combined Force to deter and defeat aggression by major powers across all domains and levels of conflict.”
Ang mga kalahok na bansa ay “train and operate together to strengthen their collective forces and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Ayon sa anunsyo, ang mga larong pandigma ay magbibigay ng “unique training opportunity designed to foster and sustain cooperative relationships critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s interconnected oceans.”
“The relevant, realistic training program includes amphibious operations, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine, and air defense exercises, as well as counter-piracy operations, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and salvage operations,” sabi pa nito.
Isinaad rin ng US Navy na ang mga kalahok na bansa ay magpapakita ng kakayahang makaangkop ng mga puwersang pandagat sa pamamagitan ng iba’t ibang mga pamamaraan mula sa pagtulong sa kalamidad at mga maritime security operations sa dagat hanggang sa sea control at complex warfighting.
Ang Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, at ang United Kingdom ay kabilang sa iba pang mga bansa na sasali rin sa RIMPAC 2022.