SC trains continuously for real-world contingencies by participating in a variety of individual service, joint, combined and international exercises – more than 60 during FY 2004 – including the following:

U.S. Marines off-load an AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter gunship from high-speed vessel Westpac Express to support Balikatan Exercise 2004 at Subic Bay, Philippines. Photo by Lance Cpl. Cory Yenter, USMC.

Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration of Forces, or RSOI – a joint U.S.-Korean command post and field training exercise sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea that tested bilateral interoperability of U.S. and Korean forces and moving and receiving forces in the Korean theater.

Cobra Gold – an annual U.S. Pacific Command exercise conducted in Thailand that tested strategic sealift capabilities and joint interoperability of U.S. and Thai forces.

Balikatan – a joint U.S.-Philippines field training exercise sponsored by U.S. Pacific Command that improves the overall interoperability of participating forces in support of contingency operations in the Philippines.

Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC – a U.S. Pacific Command-U.S. 7th Fleet training exercise that tests combat readiness.

Fuel transfer lines from MSC’s fast combat support ship USNS Rainer are nearly consumed by rough seas during an underway replenishment with aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. Photo by PH3 Mark J. Rebilas, USN.

Ulchi-Focus Lens – an annual command post exercise that uses computer simulation and actual movement of ground and sea forces in the vicinity of the Republic of Korea to test combat readiness on the Korean peninsula.

Ready Reserve Force ship Cape May lifts a truck over the side for transport to shore during a two-week U.S. Army Joint-Logistics-Over-The-Shore exercise. Photo by Cmdr. Keith Warner, USNR.

TURBO Activations – twelve separate, no-notice exercises during the year at U.S. layberth sites that measured the activation time and personnel and materiel readiness of selected Ready Reserve Force ships of the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Nuevos Horizontes (New Horizons) – a series of joint and combined forces exercises tailored to provide military-to-military training involving the movement of humanitarian and civil assistance cargo to countries in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, such as Panama, St. Kitts, Belize, Grenada and Dominican Republic.

Determined Promise – a U.S. Northern Command homeland defense exercise that focused on incident management, civil support and deployment of rapid reaction forces in the United States.