(Ottawa) Defense Minister Bill Blair said Canada will send Royal Canadian Navy ships to support Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy in the coming days.
The Department of National Defense announced that HMCS Vancouver will depart for Hawaii to participate in Exercise “Rim of the Pacific 2024”, known as RIMPAC, which it says is the largest joint and combined maritime exercise in the world.
The HMCS Max Bernays, the MV Astérix and a land contingent of approximately 300 members of the Canadian Armed Forces will also be present at RIMPAC.
The ministry says this is the second year the navy will deploy three warships to the region.
Once RIMPAC 2024 is completed, HMCS Vancouver will continue to sail westward across the Pacific Ocean for Operation HORIZON, which is a forward presence mission in the Indo-Pacific region.
Mr Blair, who announced the navy’s participation while attending the Shangri-La defense forum in Singapore, said in a statement that the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region is essential for the future of Canada and that the deployment shows that the country is a partner for peace, stability and prosperity in the region.