Around 350 NZ Defence Force personnel are in the United States as the world's largest international maritime exercise, Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC 2012), gets underway.
HMNZS TE KAHA and HMNZS ENDEAVOUR have berthed at Honolulu port, and a Rifle Platoon from 1 Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment has embarked on USS ESSEX with the US Marine Corps at Kaneohe Bay.
The Operational Diving Team will operate out of San Diego, while the Mine Counter Measures Team will be based at Pearl Harbour and will embark on Japanese ship BUNGO for part of the exercise. A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K Orion will depart from Whenuapai on Wednesday morning and during the exercise will operate out of Kaneohe Bay, and a number of headquarters staff are working out of Pearl Harbour and Ford Island.
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