US, allies conduct military exercises in Pacific

The Pacific recently became the staging ground of what organizers described as one of the largest joint maritime exercises participated in by the U.S. Navy and the naval units of allied countries.

Countries that participated in the Rim of the Pacific 2004 exercises include Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, besides the U.S.

The U.S. Naval Forces Marianas headquartered on Guam disclosed this last week, when it hosted the visit of two of South Korea’s destroyer ships on Apra Harbor.

“RIMPAC is designed to enhance the tactical capabilities and cooperation of participating nations…in various aspects of maritime operations at sea. This year’s exercise involved a wide variety of land- and carrier-based aircraft, amphibious and ground forces, surface combat, support and amphibious ships, and submarines,” said Jonathan Annis, deputy public affairs officer for Rear Adm. Arthur Johnson.

Johnson, the commander for the Naval Forces Marianas, had earlier disclosed the military’s thrust to increase military activity in the Pacific, including joint and multilateral training with allied countries. An elite military unit from Singapore conducted joint training with the U.S. Navy on Guam several weeks ago.

Korean military ships Chungmugong Yi Sun Shin (DDH-975) and Ulchimoonduk (DDH-972) arrived at the Apra Harbor Friday after joining RIMPAC, Annis said. The ships are destroyers that are capable of carrying helicopters.

Both Korean ships carried close to 500 enlisted men. Korean sailors toured Guam during the weekend before the ships’ scheduled departure yesterday.

Regarding plans to increase military presence in the CNMI, the Navy has yet to disclose whether any has been finalized, particularly for Tinian.

Top military officials visited the CNMI in the past weeks and conducted overflight on Tinian, where the military leases over 7,628 acres of public land, controlling a significant portion of the island’s landmass. These officials included U.S. Army Gen. Leon J. Laporte, a four-star general.

Laporte’s visit sometime last month followed that of U.S. Pacific Command commander Adm. Thomas Fargo, the highest ranking Naval official in the entire Pacific, who stressed the CNMI’s strategic role for the U.S., amid rising economies and military strength in some Asian countries.

Fargo and Johnson toured port facilities on Saipan and conducted an overflight on Tinian and Farallon de Mendinilla, amid plans to heighten military training in the Marianas region.

CNMI press secretary Pete Callaghan earlier quoted Fargo as saying that Guam and the CNMI would play “an increasingly more strategic” role for the U.S. “as the ‘center of gravity’ for the U.S. shifts both economically and militarily towards Asia.”

“China and India have huge populations, and as they continue to develop economically, they will have a more significant impact on the U.S. economy,” Fargo reportedly said.