More than 40 ships and submarines set sail in July from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and downtown Honolulu to begin the sea phase of this year's Rim of the Pacific exercise.

"RIMPAC is currently in its second phase, also known as the 'Operational Phase.' It concentrates on a structured schedule of events, which is essentially the beginning of the period where we will be working at sea," said RIMPAC spokesman Cmdr. Charlie Brown.

The events in this phase include live fire and missile exercises, maritime interdiction and vessel boarding, undersea warfare, naval maneuvers, air defense, explosive ordnance disposal, diving and salvage operations, mine clearance operations, an amphibious landing and anti-surface warfare.

For the first time, a humanitarian assistance disaster relief component is part of RIMPAC.

"The scenario provides a realistic, relevant challenge that will facilitate training and certification for expeditionary forces to respond to foreign disasters," said Brown.  "The event will aid Hawaii-based medical facilities in their statewide mass casualty drills and certifications."

The biennial exercise, with the theme, "Capable, Adaptive Partners," is focused on enhancing the interoperability of participating forces and improving their ability to work together in missions ranging from maritime security operations to disaster relief.

"Roughly 70 percent of the world is covered by water," said Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. "Eighty percent of the world's population lives on or near the coast, and 90 percent of our international commerce moves by sea.  So it requires capable maritime forces to help ensure that stability and economic prosperity around the world.  RIMPAC helps partnering nations prove that capability."

This year's RIMPAC exercise includes units or personnel from Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Republic of Korea, Republic of the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom and United States.