180712-N-PM193-026 PACIFIC OCEAN (July 12, 2018) The guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) launches a Mark 234 offboard active decoy from a Nulka Mark 53 Decoy Launching System during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. Twenty-five nations, 46 ships, five submarines, about 200 aircraft, and 25,000 personnel participated in RIMPAC from June 27 to Aug. 2 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security of the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alexander C. Kubitza/Released)