WEB DESK
The US Navy has said that it will host the world’s largest maritime exercises in Hawaii again this year, but the drills will only be held at sea because of the Corona virus.
The Navy has held the Rim of the Pacific exercises in Hawaii every two years since the early 1970s.
Hawaii Governor David Ige earlier this month asked the military to postpone the drills until the COVID-19 situation in the islands subsides.
The Pacific Fleet said, in a statement issued yesterday, RIMPAC- 2020 would not include social events on shore.
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam will host a minimal footprint of staff for logistics and support functions.
It said the modified exercise was a way to conduct a meaningful exercise with maximum training value and minimum risk to the force, allies and partners, and the people of Hawaii.
The drills will also be held over two weeks, from 17th to 31st August , instead of the usual five weeks of events from late June to early August.
The US has the most Corona virus cases in the world, while an outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier infected nearly 1,000 sailors.
Other RIMPAC participants including Japan have also experienced outbreaks.