Chris McKean / Staff / Staff
HMNZS Aotearoa in the New Zealand waters in August 2021.
The Royal New Zealand Navy’s royal vessel, HMNZSAotearoa, set sail for Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as part of a major military exercise in the Pacific Ocean.
The Exercise RIMPAC (RIMPAC) will be held until August 4, with 26 countries participating.
Commissioned in 2020, the HMNNZSAotearoa is the Navy’s newest and largest ship to date. She is used to refuel the ship at sea during the exercises.
The Royal New Zealand Navy’s Submersible and Hydrography Team, the Royal New Zealand Army Joint Fire Team, and the Royal New Zealand Navy’s Air Force, Army, and Navy personnel are also participating in this exercise.
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This ship is the newest in the Royal New Zealand Navy and the largest ever commissioned to the country.
This movement has been controversial in the past. In April 2020, a group of peace activists and scholars sent an open letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern calling for New Zealand to withdraw from RIMPAC.
The letter said that the exercise was “mainly aimed at strengthening US military control of the Pacific Ocean.”
“As a participant, New Zealand is contributing to this military showcase of imperial violence and ecosystem destruction in places such as Hawaii and Guam.”
Emalani Case, a lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington Pacific Studies from Waimea, Hawaii, spin off Encourage them not to join New Zealand.
JASON DORDAY / STUFF
Test run of the Navy’s latest ship, HMNGS Aotearoa, at Devonport Naval Base in Auckland. (Video released in July 2020)
The movement polluted the environment, threatened wildlife and ignored the rights of indigenous peoples, Case wrote.
Commander Dave Barr, commander of HMNZS Aotearoa, said the exercise would help improve the international response in the event of a natural disaster.
“This exercise is a victory that connects diverse nations. When a horrific event like the volcanic eruption of Tonga in January happens, we already know each other and can quickly put together a multinational response. increase.
“It gives the right help to those who need it most as soon as possible. Working with someone you know makes the world a little smaller and better.”