HONOLULU (HI Now) - When thousands of service members from 30 nations converge on Hawaiʻi for RIMPAC 2026, the biggest story is not only what happens on the water, it is what gets built between people. This year’s exercise brings more than 30 ships, 200 aircraft, and over 30,000 personnel together, but the lasting impact is the trust and shared readiness that can matter most when the Pacific faces a real emergency.
Behind the scenes, communications and technology make that teamwork possible. United States Navy Information Systems Technician Chief Petty Officer Selena Ortwine described reliable networks as the backbone of coordination, from ships at sea to command centers on shore. This includes scenarios that mirror humanitarian assistance and disaster response. The work is often invisible, but it keeps everyone connected, informed, and operating safely as one team.
For partners like the Royal New Zealand Navy, the value is in practicing cooperation before a crisis hits. Lieutenant Ben Robertson shared that smaller maritime nations cannot respond to regional challenges alone, and training alongside Pacific partners helps build the confidence and familiarity needed for maritime security missions and disaster response. Those relationships are strengthened even more in Hawaiʻi, where daily collaboration turns professional coordination into genuine connection.
That people’s first partnership is also at the heart of the Military and Community Relations Office, known as MACRO, whose work focuses on building bridges between Hawaiʻi’s communities and the service members here for RIMPAC. To learn more, visit macro.hawaii.gov/ or follow @macro.higov on Instagram.
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