HAWAII, USA, Thursday,
13 August 2020 – KDB DARULEHSAN safely arrived Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam, Hawaii from Guam to participate in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2020 (RIMPAC 20). KDB DARULEHSAN was warmly welcomed at the jetty by Captain Jay Steingold, RIMPAC Exercise Director, Assistant Chief of Staff N5/7 US THIRD Fleet, Captain Jeff Bernard, Commander of Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam, as well as members of the lead planning team of Exercise RIMPAC 20.
Whilst enroute to Hawaii, KDB DARULEHSAN had also successfully participated in the Multi-National Group Sail (MNGS). Other participants of the MNGS were the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ships HMAS SIRIUS and HMAS STUART, the Republic Singapore Navy (RSN) ship RSS SUPREME, and briefly by the United States Navy (USN) ship USS RAFAEL PERALTA. The group was also joined by the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) ship JS ASHIGARA on the 11th Aug. Various exercises were executed during the passage to Hawaii, focusing on communications, warfare and manoeuvring drills. Aimed as a soft workup in preparation for the upcoming RIMPAC 20, the MNGS had also pursued to enhance the interoperability across all ships as well as strengthen diplomatic relations across all nations involved.
Having arrived in Hawaii, KDB DARULEHSAN continues its deployment by participating in RIMPAC 20 that will take place from 17th to 31st August 2020. This year’s participation will differ from previous years due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, which has subsequently limited social interaction and constrained tactical exercise planning. Nonetheless, it has not dampened the resolve of participating nations in ensuring the success of RIMPAC 20. This year, a total of 10 nations will participate with a total number of 22 ships. This will be the second inclusion of the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) ship in the RIMPAC Exercise series since RIMPAC 2014.
KDB DARULEHSAN is scheduled to return to Muara Naval Base on 27th September 2020.
