RSN Participates in Largest Edition of Multinational Naval Exercise RIMPAC 2026

RSS Steadfast sailing alongside participating navies during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (Ex RIMPAC).

Participating navies, including RSS Steadfast, in formation during Ex RIMPAC. 31 Nations are involved in this year’s edition.

RSS Steadfast’s Weapon Control Systems team in the Combat Information Centre (CIC) conducting the Aster surface-to-air missile firing.

Personnel from the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Coordination Centre (RHCC), the Royal Thai Armed Forces, Japan Self-Defense Forces and United States Armed Forces utilising the OPERA Computer Information System (CIS) 2.0[1] during a Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise.

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN)’s Formidable-class frigate RSS Steadfast is participating in high-end naval warfare training alongside other navies at Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026. Held in the waters off Hawaii from 25 June to 1 August 2026 (Singapore Time), the 30th edition of RIMPAC involves approximately 40 surface ships, 5 submarines, 15 national land forces, over 140 aircraft, and more than 25,000 personnel from 31 nations.

Prior to Exercise RIMPAC, RSS Steadfast conducted a passage exercise (PASSEX) with the Italian Navy, and led a Multinational Group Sail, comprising ships from the Italian Navy, Philippines Navy, and Philippines Coast Guard, while enroute from the East of Philippines to Guam. RSS Steadfast then joined a second Multinational Group Sail, led by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), with ships from the Republic of Korea Navy, Italian Navy, Philippines Navy, and Philippines Coast Guard, from Guam to Hawaii to participate in Exercise RIMPAC 2026.

During Exercise RIMPAC, RSS Steadfast led a task unit, comprising three other Navy ships^[2] from the Philippines and the United States, in a series of complex naval warfare serials in the air, surface and sub-surface domains, including manoeuvring drills and underway replenishment. A team of 25 RSN personnel, working alongside international counterparts, was also deployed in the shore command centres to plan and coordinate the smooth execution of the exercise.

RSS Steadfast also successfully fired an Aster-15 surface-to-air missile against a high-speed sea-skimming aerial drone, which was used to simulate an inbound missile.

As part of Exercise RIMPAC 2026, the Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Coordination Centre (RHCC) also participated in a HADR exercise organised by US PACOM Center for Excellence in Disaster Management (CFE-DM), with participation from United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), World Food Programme (WFP), Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), and 11 other militaries^[3]. Such exercises enable the Changi RHCC to work alongside regional and international partners to strengthen HADR response capabilities and interoperability between military and civilian organisations.

Commander 1st Flotilla, and Commander Task Group for Exercise RIMPAC 2026, Colonel (COL) Song Shaodong Carlin, highlighted the value of the RSN’s participation in large-scale exercises like Exercise RIMPAC. He said, “This year marks Singapore’s tenth time participating in Exercise RIMPAC. For a maritime nation like Singapore, where trade is closely tied to prosperity and survival, keeping these sea lines of communication secure is critical. The work we do together – whether through complex multilateral exercises, real-time information sharing, or responding to humanitarian crises – is what keeps these global arteries open".

Hosted by the United States Navy, Exercise RIMPAC is the world’s largest international maritime exercise, fostering cooperation and readiness among participating nations. This is the tenth time the RSN has participated in the biennial exercise since its inaugural involvement in 2008.

^[1]RHCC’s OPERA Computer Information System (CIS) 2.0 is a system that enables regional disaster monitoring and provides a centralised, web-based platform for military-to-military cooperation and civilian-to-military coordination in disaster response. It enables the affected state's military to coordinate its response plan effectively with both foreign militaries and civilian humanitarian agencies by: (a) enabling information sharing; (b) providing HADR planning tools; and (c) accelerating the coordination of multinational humanitarian assistance through Multinational Coordination Centre (MNCC) processes.

^[2]The three other Navy ships are the United States Navy’s USS Paul Hamilton, USS Carl M. Levin and the Philippine Navy’s BRP Miguel Malvar.

^[3]The 11 participating militaries are from Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and the United States.