NMFS Biological Opinion on U.S. Navy training ... - Govsupport.us

FINAL PROGRAMMATIC BIOLOGICAL OPINION ON U.S. NAVY ACTIVITIES IN THE HAWAII RANGE COMPLEX 2008-2013
1.1.1 Rim of the Pacific Exercises
Since 1971, the U.S. Navy has conducted biennial, sea control and power projection fleet exercises in the Hawai’i
Islands Operating Area called Rim of the Pacific exercises. These exercises, which historically have lasted for about
a month, have involved forces from various nations on the Pacific Rim including Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan,
and the Republic of Korea. These exercises have historically included a series of anti-submarine warfare training
events that employ mid-frequency sonar
RIMPAC exercises typically encompass in-port operations, command and control, aircraft operations, ship maneuvers,
amphibious landings, troop movements, gunfire and missile exercises, submarine and antisubmarine exercises,
mining and demolition activities, sinking exercise, salvage, special warfare, and humanitarian operations. The
following narratives discuss only those aspects of the proposed RIMPAC exercise that are necessary to understand its
potential effects on threatened and endangered species under the jurisdiction of <strong>NMFS</strong> and critical habitat that has
been designated for them. For a complete description of recent and proposed Rim of the Pacific Exercises, readers
should refer to the U.S. Navy’s 2002 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Programmatic Environmental Assessment, the
2006 Supplement to that environmental assessment, and the U.S. Navy’s Hawai’i Range Complex Final Environmental
Impact Statement.
The exercise is likely to consist of a scenario in which one country, “Green,” is attacked by another country,
“Orange.” The scenario assumes that “Green” has requested and received support from allied countries among the
Pacific Rim nations. The countries then use military force “to eliminate military hostilities and restore peace to the
region.” The tactical phase of RIMPAC exercises typically last for about 5 days.
Specific individual events (non-scenario) military training events occurring during the exercise vary from year-toyear
and are based on the participants’ training needs and desires and may be based in part on anticipated operations
that may be required under real world conditions. The “Green” forces opposing “Orange” forces are usually split into
multinational and bilateral forces, depending on which Pacific Rim allies participate. Countries participating in
previous RIMPAC exercises have been composed of units from various Rim of the Pacific nations. In the past, these
nations have included Australia, Canada, Chile, the Republic of Korea, and the United States.
Countries participating in RIMPAC exercises typically engage in three phases of activity (Harbor phase, Operational
Phase in which events are scheduled, and a Tactical phase). The timing, phases, and scope of the different exercises
might be modified or rearranged depending on the final objectives of a RIMPAC exercise..
Antisubmarine Warfare
The types of anti-submarine warfare training conducted during the proposed RIMPAC include the use of ships,
submarines, aircraft, explosive and non-explosive exercise weapons, and other training related devices. Antisubmarine
warfare events could occur anywhere within the Hawai’ian Islands Operating Area; however, the U.S.
Navy identified and used six areas for their analyses because they are representative of the marine mammal habitats
and the bathymetric, seabed, wind speed, and sound velocity profile conditions within the entire Hawai’ian Islands
Operating Area. For purposes of the analyses the U.S. Navy presented in its Final EIS on the Hawai'i Range
Complex, all RIMPAC anti-submarine warfare events were modeled as occurring in these areas.
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