160712-N-MX772-094 PACIFIC OCEAN (July 12, 2016) Aviation Machinist’s Mate 3rd Class Ashley Arns, left, and Aviation Machinist’s Mate 1st Class Carlos Rodriguez, both assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73, performs maintenance on an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter on the flight deck of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83). Howard is currently underway participating in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise 2016. Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4, 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 between participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Siobhana R. McEwen/Released)