US-Led RIMPAC 2022 Maritime Exercise Concludes

The US-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) maritime exercise concludes today. 26 nations participated in the military exercise – the largest of its kind – to facilitate global navy interoperability amidst heightening Indo-Pacific tensions.

This year’s joint exercise shadowed the evolving power competition between Washington and Beijing as tensions mount in the Taiwan Strait. Cooperative wartime exercises included gunnery, submersible and mine clearance drills alongside unmanned sinking strikes, ordinance disposal and salvage operations. Mutual exercises for natural disaster and humanitarian crises response were also a priority. The US announced Taiwan will not attend RIMPAC in an effort to pacify Beijing. However, the US and China recently conducted air force sweeps around the Taiwan Strait, further exacerbating tensions.

Joint conflict deterrence and increased interoperability between the US Navy and other militaries will ultimately benefit from the success of RIMPAC 2022 in the long-term as the China-Taiwan relationship deteriorates further. Despite the intention to develop multilateral navy cooperation, the exercise underscored a mutual concern towards Indo-Pacific security as Beijing continues to flex its regional military muscle. Expect China to further heighten military presence around the Taiwan Strait while the US attempts to politically counter regional instability through discussions with Taipei and warship navigational operations.