FRIDAY FOTO (July 20, 2012)

Fast Exit

(Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth)

A sailor assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 11, fast ropes out of a U.S. Navy MH-60S Nighthawk helicopter in Hawaii during Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2012. For more photos of U.S., Canadian and Australian sailors partcipating in rapid exit from a hovering helicopter click here.

Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, over 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in the RIMPAC exercise from June 29 to August 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

We couldn’t decide on which photo to pick for the FRIFO this week, so we’re using three to illustrate the scope of  RIMPAC, the world’s largest international maritime exercise.

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Paul Seeber)

Here we see U.S. Marines about to enter a Mexican navy MI-17 helicopter aboard the Mexican navy transport ship ARM Usumacinta (A-412).

The U.S. Defense Department says RIMPAC provides a unique opportunity to foster and sustain cooperative relationships among the participating militaries and their personnel. RIMPAC’s goals include training and command coordination critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971.

In the photo below, Royal Australian Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force divers train together aboard the Japanese minesweeper tender JS Bungo (MST-464).

(Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force photo by Photographer PO1 Takahiro Ito)

For more photos of seaborne training at RIMPAC 2012, click here.