Sterett Sailors Preserving the Ocean Environment For Generations

by Petty Officer 1st Class Ezekiel Duran

21 July 2024 JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – Twenty-nine nations, 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, more than 150 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 in and around the Hawaiian Islands, June 27 to Aug. 1.

As stewards of the sea, the U.S. Navy is implementing protective environmental measures during RIMPAC with the at-sea environmental stewardship program. The program contributes directly to mission success by preserving the ocean environment for future generations.

Protection of marine species and prompt incident reporting are crucial to ensure success when transiting on an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer. Proper training for sailors in preparation for the exercise and every time the ship is out to sea is paramount.

“The first step the Navy has is lookout training, sailors familiarize themselves with what marine mammals are, why they’re important as part of our regulatory rules, and then how to identify what they’re looking at,” said Lt. Jason Dam, ASW Environmental Compliance Team Lead on USS Sterett (DDG 104)

“Lookouts are located on the bridge and fantail of our vessels. They conduct marine species awareness training annually.”

Points of emphasis for training include awareness of the presence of various marine species, including whales, dolphins, seals, turtles, coral, and how the presence of these different species may impact portions of the RIMPAC exercise. USS Sterett follows protective measures in the National Marine Fisheries Services permit to safeguard endangered species of marine life.

In addition to lookouts, passive sonar operators are responsible in reporting all indications of marine activity and informing lookouts.

“I’m a strong advocate for environmental responsibility,” said Sonar Technician 3rd Class Kenneth Allore.

“This world is the only one we got, so we need to take care of it to give future generations the opportunity to live here as well.”

For the duration of the exercise, daily environmental mitigation reports will be collected, showing marine mammal sightings and the action conducted due to their presence. The Navy is dedicated to safeguarding marine and coastal environments. These programs have been created to protect and care for threatened wildlife.

The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans.