RIMPAC

You know, we are a regular participant and, you know, and we coordinate, you know, in Operation Neon, Horizon, Nanook.

You know, we've demonstrated a willingness to increase our participation in, you know, Exercise Balikatan, continuing our participation RIMPAC.

So we are involved.

in, you know, I would say the broader Indo-Pacific maritime security cooperation.

Yeah, it's not worth it.

And it's like, I don't know about, like, at RIMPAC, in front of all of the admirals and high-up officers that could literally end your career at the, you know, from a fart in the wind.

Yeah.

But yeah, no, I don't know.

It's about the messaging.

As you mentioned, it's the 30th iteration of RIMPAC.

Canada was one of the founding partners, if you will, one of the three partners that started back in 1971 with the first RIMPAC.

And it's really to reinforce that commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and all those countries participating this year.

You know, 30 countries participated and I got to interact with most, if not all of them.

There's probably some that I missed, but it's really about reinforcing that commitment to the region for the secure open Pacific, which the world depends on.

And it's reinforcing Canada's role as a senior leader in the RIMPAC exercise, bringing the experience of 30 iterations in 55 years and also mentorship as this year was the first time where we saw on the maritime component side, the maritime component commander was Korean and his deputy was Japanese.

So Canada got the opportunity to play a fairly significant role through mentorship on the maritime component op center.

Yeah.

Speaking of the sea, RIMPAC, which refers to the Rim of the Pacific, is the largest maritime military exercise in the world.

So what did your encounters with RIMPAC commanders reveal about accountability and what this war game essentially means to them?

I mean, being in Hawaii and talking to all the locals about the impact of RIMPAC.

No rhyme intended, but like they really go and just completely just treat these islands like they're fucking playground.

We did have like a montage of just hardcore, like hard death metal, just showing like what they do in Hawaii.

And it's just like, oh my God, like they just go and just have a grand old time.

And that's not to mention the actual, you know, sexual assault to the actual locals and Everything that they do to just like completely desecrate the community.

So you can bring a commercial tanker out.

We saw it just happen here at RIMPAC a few weeks ago.

Bring a commercial tanker out and meet with a U.S. oiler.

They can... made up, refuel, and transfer over.

Well, Joe and Kayleigh, I think it's incredibly sad that we are now past six months of this war with no resolution in sight, with no clear mission in sight.

And I say that up against a visit I made this summer to Hawaii to the RIMPAC exercises.

I can't tell you.

how impressed I am with everybody from Admiral Paparo on down, our Navy and Marine, the exquisite nature of their preparation for us, for national security, and for war.