 Welcome to All Hands Update, I'm Petty Officer Ian Cotter. The world's largest international maritime exercise, Rim of the Pacific, or RimPak 2014, is underway in the waters off of Hawaii and Southern California. Sailors from 22 nations came together to conduct operations and scenarios with 47 ships and more than 200 aircraft. This year marks a few firsts for RimPak. Sailors and ships from China's People's Liberation Army Navy are participating this year. Hospital ship USNS Mercy and Chinese hospital ship Peace Arc are newcomers to the RimPak stage, hosting tours and medical training. During the special operations exercise, sailors from the U.S., Republic of Korea, and Peru conducted operations aboard the littoral combat ship USS Independence. Since 1971, RimPak has provided unique training opportunities and helped foster relationships critical to ensuring safety on the world's oceans. RimPak 2014 ends August 1st.