Twenty-five thousand personnel will participate in the world's largest maritime exercise.
Every two years, the waters off Hawaii and California become a stage for one of humanity's most deliberate acts of collective security — and in 2026, the USS Theodore Roosevelt will anchor that gathering once more. From June 24 through July 31, more than 30 nations will send ships, submarines, aircraft, and personnel to the Rim of the Pacific exercises, a tradition now in its 30th iteration since 1971. The exercise is less a show of force than a rehearsal of trust: nations that may rarely operate together learning the shared language of maritime order. In a Pacific defined by competing pressures and stretched commitments, the act of showing up together carries its own quiet meaning.
- The U.S. Navy is deploying a carrier strike group led by the freshly maintained USS Theodore Roosevelt alongside cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and amphibious vessels — a formidable but deliberately calibrated presence.
- Three Nimitz-class carriers are already tied up in the Middle East and Philippine Sea, meaning RIMPAC 2026 assembles against a backdrop of real and ongoing military strain.
- Forty surface ships, five submarines, 140 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel from over 30 nations — including Five Eyes allies, European navies, and Pacific partners — are converging in an exercise of unprecedented multinational breadth.
- Command is being shared: Chile serves as deputy commander, Japan as vice commander, South Korea leads the maritime component, and Canada commands the air component, turning the exercise into a living model of distributed allied leadership.
- The theme 'Partners: Integrated and Prepared' frames the drills — spanning anti-submarine warfare, amphibious operations, humanitarian response, and mine clearance — as preparation for a world where no single navy acts alone.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class supercarrier homeported in San Diego, will serve as the centerpiece of American participation in the 2026 Rim of the Pacific exercises — the world's largest international maritime drill. Running from June 24 through July 31 in Hawaiian and California waters, RIMPAC 2026 marks the 30th iteration of an exercise that has grown into something far larger than a military showcase.
The scale is striking: 40 surface ships, 5 submarines, 140 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel from more than 30 nations. The Theodore Roosevelt, which spent 2025 in maintenance and local training after a nine-month deployment, will lead a U.S. contingent that includes the cruiser USS Chosin, five guided-missile destroyers, the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, two fast-attack submarines, and several support vessels. The roster is slightly smaller than 2024's, a reflection of American commitments elsewhere — three carriers are currently deployed to the Middle East and Philippine Sea.
What distinguishes RIMPAC 2026 is the depth of allied participation. Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand are sending major warships. Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Italy are crossing the Atlantic. Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, and several Latin American nations are all represented. The command structure mirrors this multinational character: Chile serves as deputy commander, Japan as vice commander, South Korea leads the maritime component, and Canada commands the air component.
The exercise's activities span the full spectrum of naval operations — amphibious landings, missile drills, anti-submarine warfare, humanitarian response, counter-piracy, and mine clearance. For smaller navies, it is a rare opportunity to train alongside the world's most advanced maritime forces. For the United States, it is a signal that even amid stretched global commitments, the Pacific remains a priority — and that the trust built through shared exercises is itself a form of strategic investment.
The USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class supercarrier homeported in San Diego, is about to anchor the largest international maritime exercise on Earth. Starting June 24 and running through the end of July, the 2026 Rim of the Pacific exercises will draw more than 30 nations to Hawaiian and California waters—a biennial gathering that has grown into something unprecedented in scale and diplomatic weight.
The numbers alone convey the ambition. Forty surface ships will steam into formation. Five submarines will operate beneath the surface. One hundred forty aircraft will fill the skies. Twenty-five thousand personnel in total will participate in some portion of the drills. The Theodore Roosevelt, which spent all of 2025 undergoing maintenance and local training off the Southern California coast, will serve as the centerpiece of the American contingent. The carrier completed her last deployment in October 2024 after nine months at sea in the 5th and 7th Fleet areas. Now she is ready to lead again.
The U.S. Navy is bringing substantial firepower to the exercise. Beyond the carrier itself, the roster includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin, five guided-missile destroyers, the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, two fast-attack submarines, a Coast Guard cutter, two fleet oilers, and a dry cargo ship. It is a formidable display, though not quite as large as the 2024 iteration, when the USS Carl Vinson led a similarly impressive array of vessels. The difference reflects the reality of American military commitments elsewhere: three Nimitz-class carriers are currently deployed to the Middle East and Philippine Sea, tied up in ongoing operations that have stretched into their second and third months.
What makes RIMPAC 2026 historically significant is not American power alone, but the breadth of allied participation. The Five Eyes nations—Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom—are sending major warships. Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Italy are dispatching vessels across the Atlantic. Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, Mexico, Peru, and Chile are all represented. The exercise marks the 30th iteration since RIMPAC began in 1971, and the 26th biennial cycle since the Navy shifted to that schedule in 1974 to manage the logistical complexity.
The command structure itself reflects the multinational character. The U.S. 3rd Fleet commander will oversee the exercise as the Combined Task Force commander, but Chile will serve as deputy commander, Japan as vice commander, South Korea will command the maritime component, and Canada will command the air component. The theme—"Partners: Integrated and Prepared"—is not mere rhetoric. It signals a deliberate effort to build interoperability and trust among navies that may never have operated together before.
The scope of activities planned is equally broad. Amphibious operations, gunnery drills, missile proficiency tests, anti-submarine warfare, air defense exercises, military medicine, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, counter-piracy operations, mine clearance, explosive ordnance disposal, and diving and salvage operations will all be conducted. For many of the smaller navies involved, RIMPAC offers a rare chance to train alongside the world's most advanced maritime forces and learn tactics and procedures that will shape their own operations for years to come.
The exercise unfolds against a backdrop of shifting geopolitical currents in the Pacific. The U.S. military is stretched across multiple theaters—the Middle East conflict with Iran has now lasted 100 days, operations in the Eastern Pacific and Caribbean continue, and the forward-deployed USS George Washington is conducting routine patrols in the Philippine Sea. Yet the Navy's commitment to RIMPAC signals that the Pacific remains a priority, and that the bonds forged through these exercises—the trust, the shared procedures, the muscle memory of working together—are seen as essential to stability in the region. The Theodore Roosevelt's role is not just to demonstrate American naval capability, but to anchor a coalition of democracies committed to a shared vision of maritime order.
Notable Quotes
The theme of RIMPAC 2026 is 'Partners: Integrated and Prepared.' With teamwork at its core, RIMPAC fosters multi-national cooperation and trust, leverages interoperability, and achieves respective national objectives to strengthen integrated and prepared partners.— U.S. Navy announcement
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does the Navy hold this exercise every two years instead of annually?
The scale is simply too large to manage more frequently. Thirty nations coordinating schedules, logistics, and training cycles—it takes two years to plan properly. The biennial rhythm also gives smaller navies time to prepare their crews and vessels for the journey.
What's the real purpose here? Is this about deterrence, or is it something else?
It's both, but the exercise itself is about building muscle memory. When navies operate together in peacetime, they develop trust and shared procedures. If a crisis happens, they already know how to work as a team. That's worth more than any single show of force.
The Theodore Roosevelt spent all of 2025 in port. Does that concern you?
Not really. Maintenance is essential. A carrier that hasn't been properly overhauled is a liability, not an asset. The Navy used that time to ensure the ship and strike group were ready for this deployment. It's the right call.
Why is Canada commanding the air component and South Korea the maritime component?
It distributes leadership and shows that this isn't just an American exercise with other nations as extras. When allied commanders hold key positions, their navies feel invested in the outcome. It also gives them experience in large-scale command, which strengthens the entire coalition.
With three carriers already deployed elsewhere, does RIMPAC feel like a stretch?
It's a choice about priorities. The Middle East commitment is real and ongoing, but the Pacific is where the long-term strategic competition is happening. The Navy is signaling that even with other demands, the Pacific alliance matters enough to commit a supercarrier and substantial forces.
What happens after the exercise ends in July?
The Theodore Roosevelt will likely continue her deployment cycle—training, patrols, presence operations. The relationships built during RIMPAC will persist. Navies that trained together in July will be more likely to coordinate if something happens in the months and years ahead.