On June 27, the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) international exercise began in the Pacific Ocean, this time involving military units from 29 countries. The evolution of the format of these exercises corresponds closely to the changes in the political situation in the Indo-Pacific region as a whole.

The relationship between the RIMPAC exercises and other US Field training exercises in the Indo-Pacific

The RIMPAC naval exercises of the last 10-15 years have stood out from the various other international events organized by and involving the US Department of Defense in that their political component is just as significant as their military component. In political terms, the only other events of comparable significance are the Malabar exercises conducted jointly by the US and Indian navies since the mid-1990s.

However, to a certain extent, there is a political element to all the Pentagon’s joint activities with US allies and close partners.

For example, the most recent Balikatan exercises held jointly by the US and the Philippines were conducted for the first time in areas of the South China Sea where the overlapping claims of the PRC and the Philippines have become an increasing acute issue. Inevitably, these exercises were seen as sending a clear message to China. Also, for the first time, the exercises extended to the Taiwan strait, an area of water used by the Chinese navy for shows of force aimed at what it sees as “Taiwanese separatists,” and also for wider-ranging missions in the Pacific Ocean.

Nevertheless, the main goal of these exercises was strictly military: to practice mechanisms for mounting a rapid response to the certain potential military threats in the area. Units of both the US and Philippine Armed Forces are seen as having a role in such a response, and they are rehearsing operations requiring close cooperation.

The joint military exercises between........

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