Overview
- Multinational forces sank the decommissioned cruiser USS Mobile Bay on July 11 and the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu on July 17 during RIMPAC 2026 off Kauai.
- Participants included ships, submarines, aircraft and ground units from the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, Italy, New Zealand and Spain working together in coordinated strikes.
- The exercises employed a wide mix of long-range anti-ship weapons such as HIMARS, Japan’s Type 12, LRASM (AGM-158C), Harpoon (AGM/UGM-84), SPIKE NLOS and other ship- and aircraft-launched missiles.
- Organizers said the SINKEXs were conducted after environmental surveys and under U.S. legal permits for marine protection, and that the events also gathered weapons-effect data not available in simulations.
- RIMPAC 2026, running through July 31, is using the sinkings and other live fires to test multinational kill chains, boost interoperability and shape future maritime strike tactics and force plans.