180727-N-PM193-0014 PACIFIC OCEAN (July 27, 2018) Command Master Chief Lonnie Bussell, command master chief aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104), observes the ship’s approach to the Royal Australian Navy multi-product replenishment oiler HMAS Success (OR 304) prior to a replenishment-at-sea during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, July 27. Twenty-five nations, 46 ships, five submarines, and about 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating 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). Sterett is underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alexander C. Kubitza/Released)