Rear Admiral Suzanne M. Bailey Commander, RIMPAC Combined Exercise Control Group And Deputy Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet

Asia Pacific Media Hub

MODERATOR:  Greetings from the U.S. Department of State’s Asia Pacific Media Hub.  I’m Tim Johnson and it’s my pleasure to welcome journalists to today’s on-the-record briefing.  Today we’re honored to be joined by Rear Admiral Suzanne Bailey, who will discuss the 2026 Rim of the Pacific Exercise, known as RIMPAC.  Rear Admiral Bailey is the commander of the RIMPAC Combined Exercise Control Group and the deputy commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet.

With that, let’s get started.  Rear Admiral Bailey, I’ll turn it over to you for your opening remarks.

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  Great.  Thank you, Tim, for having me, and good afternoon and thank you all for joining us from across the region and around the world.  It’s a pleasure to speak with you about RIMPAC 2026, the world’s premier international maritime exercise.

This year, 30 nations have come together under the theme “Partners: Integrated and Prepared” to strengthen interoperability, build trust, and improve our ability to operate together across the full spectrum of maritime operations.  But exercises like RIMPAC are about much more than ships and aircraft.  They are about the people and the partnerships that have been built over decades and continue to grow stronger through shared training and cooperation.  Together, we improve our collective readiness while advancing our shared commitment to a free and open theater.

I appreciate your interest in this year’s exercise, and I look forward to answering your questions.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We’ll now turn to the Q&A portion of today’s briefing.  Our first question goes to Mike Yeo of Breaking Defense.  Mike, please unmute yourself and go ahead.

QUESTION:  Yes, hi.  Good afternoon, Admiral Bailey.  My name is Mike Yeo from Breaking Defense.  So my question is, how does RIMPAC tie in with Exercise Valiant Shield that has just taken place?  I noticed that at Valiant Shield there seemed to be a focus on ship strike missions.  Is this going to carry over to RIMPAC as well?  Thank you.

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  Hi, Mike.  Thanks for the question.  I personally have not been a part of the Valiant Shield planning, but I will tell you that here at RIMPAC, we’re ensuring we can control the seas as a fundamental mission of the Navy, and a critical part of that is being able to decisively engage and defeat surface threats.  At RIMPAC, we employ a wide range of weapons from multiple platforms.  The SINKEX, as you know, the sinking exercise, is one of the most visible examples of this.  It’s the ultimate test of our kill chain, requiring our forces to work together with our allies to detect, track, target, and ultimately strike a vessel with live ordnance.  It’s a complex, multi-domain effort that provides really the most realistic training possible.

The focus at RIMPAC is not just about testing our weapons; the focus is on exercising combined force capabilities in a dynamic maritime environment.

MODERATOR:  Our next question goes to Chris Buckley of The New York Times.  Chris, if you could unmute yourself and please go ahead.

QUESTION:  Thanks very much for doing this briefing, Rear Admiral.  The press releases about this year’s RIMPAC make some mention of exercises involving uncrewed systems, UUVs in particular, for anti-submarine warfare.  Could you tell us more specifics about what systems, uncrewed systems, are being tested this time, how they’re being tested, and what level of integration we’re going to see between crewed and uncrewed systems in these exercises?  Thank you.

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  Hi, Chris.  You’re certainly right to ask about that because the integration of uncrewed systems is one of the most exciting impacts or aspects of RIMPAC this year, at least for me, as a helicopter pilot, C-130 pilot, former MQ-9 Reaper pilot, and a RQ-4 Global Hawk mission commander.  It is certainly exciting to me.  I’ve been in unmanned for over a decade now, and while I won’t get into specific names or technical specs of the unmanned systems for operational security reasons, I can absolutely talk about their value.

Unmanned systems aren’t just an incremental improvement to our Navy.  They’re an absolutely essential part of today and our future in naval warfare.  They give us capacity and resilience.  They give us options.  They create dilemmas.  By integrating unmanned systems, we present a more complex and unpredictable challenge to any adversary, enhancing our ability to deter aggression.

And that’s precisely why RIMPAC is so critical.  This exercise is our primary laboratory for operationalizing these platforms and concepts.  With our partner nations, we’re learning together on how to combine manned and unmanned platforms into a single, cohesive, and formidable fighting and defensive force.  We’re stress testing our entire multinational network to ensure this teaming is seamless and reliable.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We received a pre-submitted question from Kim Hyunsoo of Yonhap in South Korea.  I see Hyunsoo is on the line, if you’d like to unmute yourself and go ahead.

QUESTION:  Hi, thanks for having me.  My question is, South Korea assumed the role of maritime component commander for the first time this year for the RIMPAC Exercise.  Could you please elaborate on the significance of this role?  And I know that the South Korean navy also deployed many new naval assets for this year’s exercise, so how do you assess South Korea’s participation in this year’s RIMPAC?  Thank you.

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  Thank you for the question, Kim.  It highlights a truly significant milestone for the RIMPAC Exercise and for our partnership with the Republic of Korea.  The Republic of Korea navy, and specifically Admiral Kim In-ho serving as the maritime component commander, is a powerful testament to the strength and the maturity of our alliance.  This is a role of immense responsibility, and their willingness and capability to lead a multinational force at this scale demonstrates their commitment to regional security.

This is exactly what we mean when we talk about strengthening our alliances and increasing our partners’ leadership roles.  I have been on board the ship myself, and regarding the assessment of their naval assets, I will certainly leave that up to the country itself to talk about their capabilities – but a phenomenal ship, in my view.  I think having them here will showcase the sophistication and the strength of their fleet.  They are a world-class partner with world-class capabilities.  South Korea’s leadership and the deployment of their forces at RIMPAC is certainly a model for the future.  It demonstrates our shared commitment to a free and open Pacific and enhances our collective ability to ensure stability throughout the region.  We’re immensely proud to serve alongside our Korean allies in this capacity.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question goes to Dzirhan Mahadzir from USNI News in Malaysia.  If you could please unmute yourself and go ahead.  Dzirhan, are you able to unmute yourself to ask your question?

QUESTION:  Yeah, I’d like to.  I had a different question in mind because the previous two questions have been asked.  So could you tell me, Admiral, what are the amphibious parts of the exercise being executed during RIMPAC?  And thank you for doing the call.

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  So I think the question was about the amphibious portions of the exercise.  As you know, we have the Essex out here with us.  We have a number of multinational forces who, during this time of the harbor phase, have been going through some phenomenal academics and preparatory work for the at-sea phase, which is coming up.  I’ve been very pleased with the naval assets and the international marines who have been doing the work with our forces on these amphibious operations.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question goes to Leo Darshan of Express Newspapers Ceylon Limited in Sri Lanka, who submitted a question in advance.  He asked:  “Sri Lanka is located at one of the world’s busiest maritime crossroads in the Indian Ocean.  How does the United States view Sri Lanka’s role in maintaining a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific?  And what practical cooperation do you foresee with the Sri Lankan navy?”

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  Hey, Tim, I thank Leo for that question.  It’s a great question, but the broader questions about U.S. policy towards Sri Lanka are best addressed by the Department of State or appropriate policy officials.  But from a RIMPAC perspective, Sri Lanka’s participation reflects the value of working with partners across the region to strengthen cooperation, integration, and shared maritime capability.  RIMPAC participants are advancing a shared vision for a free and open region for all countries, regardless of size or strength.

MODERATOR:  All right, thank you so much.  I see we have a question from Mike Cherney of The Wall Street Journal.  Mike, if you could unmute yourself and go ahead.

QUESTION:  Yeah, hi, can you guys hear me okay?

MODERATOR:  Yes.

QUESTION:  Right, yeah, thanks for doing the call.  Can you talk about whether or not there’s going to be U.S. Coast Guard participation in this year’s RIMPAC, and if so, what are they going to be doing?  Thank you.

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  So I think your question was about U.S. Coast Guard participation, and we do have participation from the Coast Guard.  I believe they have a cutter on station, and I would have to check to see if they have any air assets coming to us as well.  But as you likely know, our cooperation with the Coast Guard has been continued and increasing on the 3rd Fleet staff, and we’ll do so here in the RIMPAC Exercise.

MODERATOR:  Thanks.  We have a question from Rex Espiritu from The Manila Standard.  Rex, if you could please unmute yourself and go ahead.  Rex, are you able to unmute yourself?

QUESTION:  Hello?

MODERATOR:  Oh, hi, Rex.  Yes, go ahead.

QUESTION:  Okay, I’m so sorry.  What is the significance, Rear Admiral Bailey, of the participation of the Philippines to the RIMPAC, given the situation in the South China Sea, or what we are referring as the West Philippine Sea?  Thank you.

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  Thank you for the question.  I believe we have both air assets from the Philippines as well as some SOF units and two surface platforms.  We have had meetings with the Philippines.  We have had cultural experience with the Philippines.  We are confident in their ability as partners here at RIMPAC, and they will be incorporated in each and every one of our events come the at-sea phase.  I am thankful for the partnership that we have with them.

MODERATOR:  Thanks.  Our next question goes to Larasati Dyah Utami of Rakyat Merdeka in Indonesia.  Larasati, if you could please unmute yourself and go ahead.

QUESTION:  Hello, I am Laras from Rakyat Merdeka newspaper.  Could you please tell us about participation of Indonesian army to this exercise?  Because I just know this exercise.  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Absolutely, and thank you for the question.  For Indonesia, I believe we have land forces by way of the Indonesian marines, and we have infantry platoons and staff augments, as well as a medical team.  So in each one of those – in each one of those specialties, they integrate with each one of the partners, whether it’s medical or in the amphibious landing space, and they will be doing the scheduled events as we have them planned.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Let’s go back to Mike Yeo of Breaking Defense in Australia, who has a question.  Mike, if you could unmute yourself and go ahead.

QUESTION:  Yes, hi, Admiral Bailey.  It’s me again.  Can you tell us if there are any new specific platforms or capabilities that will be deployed at RIMPAC for the first time this year?

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  Well, Mike, that question gets to the core of why RIMPAC is really just so valuable.  The exercise is our premier venue for fleet experimentation, allowing us to test and refine the tools and tactics that will ensure we remain the world’s most capable and integrated fighting force.  RIMPAC provides the real-world operational environment where all of our participating forces can mature their developing technologies and innovate their current technologies and improve interoperability.

RIMPAC 2026 will include approximately 40 experimentation initiatives as part of the Fleet Experimentation Program.  I won’t get into the specifics on individual technologies or warfighting concepts at this time, but our efforts are focused on exposing the fleet and our partners to emerging capabilities and receiving real-world warfighter feedback very early in the process.  This includes continued focus on integration, interoperability, and the ability of partner nations to operate side by side in a realistic operational maritime environment.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question goes to Patrick de Jesus in the Philippines with PTV.  Patrick, if you could please unmute yourself and go ahead.

QUESTION:  Hello, Rear Admiral Bailey.  Good morning here from the Philippines.  My question is, the Philippine coast guard is the first foreign organization to participate in this year’s RIMPAC exercises.  How significant is this development for the Philippines, especially as it continues to face harassment in the South China Sea from Chinese maritime forces?  And may I know what are the exact activities that the Philippine coast guard will participate in?  Thank you.

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  Thank you for the question.  I won’t talk to the specific detail on your policy, because – your policy question, because that would that would better be answered by those that develop the policy.  I will tell you that by having the Philippines here en masse, where they are, makes us a stronger force who is really trying to take all of our – all of our integration to a high operating standard.  They have come ready and we are going to integrate them into every event they wish to be in.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  All right.  I think with that, why don’t we turn it over to – turn it back to Rear Admiral Bailey if you have any closing remarks?

REAR ADMIRAL BAILEY:  Thank you very much for the time you spent with us today and learning about RIMPAC.  Thank you for the thoughtful questions and for your continued coverage.  The interest from journalists across the region reflects the importance of this exercise and the value of transparency as our nations train together.  While RIMPAC only lasts a few weeks, the relationships, trust, and interoperability built here endure long after the exercise concludes.

Thank you for joining us today.  We appreciate your time and interest, and stay with us as we look forward to sharing more as RIMPAC 2026 continues.

MODERATOR:  Thank you so much, Rear Admiral Bailey.  Thank you all for joining us today.  We’ll provide a transcript of the briefing to participating journalists as soon as it’s available.  If you have any feedback or further questions, please feel free to contact us at AsiaPacMedia@state.gov.  Thanks again, and we hope you can join us for another briefing soon.  Take care.

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