Evening Twitter. Day 4, #RIMPAC2022 - Part II: RIMPAC is more than just a naval exercise, today’s thread is about amphibious stuff, military vocabulary, the different meanings of success, and my specific RIMPAC cap. And yes, I’m using an actual notebook, courtesy of @c21st_sailor
Today, courtesy of media team, we enjoyed a very good visit on USS Essex (LHD-2). This is an amphibious ship which is coming at the end of a good deployment and the ship had all the marks of an asset that has been at work for quite sometime. Still, it’s now here ready to play. 
An amphib ship is a complex piece of kit that reminds us how maritime ops aren’t just about the navy, the marines are central to the maritime story and RIMPAC showcases that at different levels:
A. Integrating different nations in harbour phase to learn about each other;
A. Integrating different nations in harbour phase to learn about each other;
B. Getting to a harmonised standard that is necessary for amphib exes to take place;
C. Getting the exercise done - in a way that achieves greater interoperability, but it does so without harming the environment.
- yes! The environment - and here this matters incredibly.
C. Getting the exercise done - in a way that achieves greater interoperability, but it does so without harming the environment.
- yes! The environment - and here this matters incredibly.
Vocabulary matters. It was interesting over the past few days to hear yaks about integration, interoperability, interchangeability. Definitions vary a little, but that’s how I’m getting to understand them:
1. Integration: bring someone into your system;
1. Integration: bring someone into your system;
2. Interoperability: communicate and operate with someone else (which in most cases will also demand/assume a capacity to integrate with each other);
3. Interchangeability: in add to interoperability you can actually replace some of your own assets with those of someone else.
3. Interchangeability: in add to interoperability you can actually replace some of your own assets with those of someone else.
An amphib exercise is likely to test and push the boundaries of all of the above. And with RIMPAC being an adaptive framework, different partners can set their own benchmark.
Now, kudos to the ship chefs: the cookies. OMG. The cookies. They were superb.
Now, kudos to the ship chefs: the cookies. OMG. The cookies. They were superb.
One last thing. My RIMPAC cap. Got it last time I was here. Sold out on day one. I should have bought a few of them then. I could have easily paid half of the trip with those. Mental note for next time. Tomorrow… it’s carrier time. Oh yeah. Thanks!
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