Israel to join largest international naval exercise

In the face of rising tensions with Iran, Israel will participate for the first time in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercise led by the US Third Fleet off of the coast of Hawaii and Southern California later this month.

“As part of the efforts to maintain its competence and develop its

capabilities, the navy regularly takes part in international exercises. In the coming weeks, Israel’s naval arm is expected to participate in the RIMPAC exercise, one of the largest exercises in the field of naval warfare,” read a statement provided to The

Jerusalem Post by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

RIMPAC, the world’s largest international maritime exercise, will be held from June 27 to August 2 and will see the participation of 26 nations bringing 47 surface ships, five submarines, 18 national land forces, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel.

With the theme of RIMPAC 2018 being “Capable Adaptive Partners,” the drill will work to increase multinational cooperation and trust as well as to enhance interoperability of troops.

Israel will be joining other firsttime participants Brazil, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Other countries participating in RIMPAC 2018 are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and the United Kingdom.

China was uninvited from participating due to its ongoing militarization of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. •