Petty Officer 3rd Class Ashley Muirhead is a gas turbine systems electrician aboard USS Lake Champlain, currently operating out of San Diego, California.

A Navy gas turbine systems electrician is responsible for maintaining and repairing all electrical components of the gas turbine engine.

Muirhead applies the lessons she learned from Scotch Plains to her work in the Navy.

“I learned that people are never what you expect,” said Muirhead. “Everyone has better qualities than you would hope for.”

As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring safety at sea and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2018 is the 26th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

The theme of RIMPAC 2018 is “Capable, Adaptive, Partners,” according to Navy officials. The participating nations and forces exercise a wide range of capabilities and demonstrate the inherent flexibility of maritime forces. These capabilities range from disaster relief and maritime security operations to sea control and complex warfighting. The relevant, realistic training program includes, gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defense exercises, as well as amphibious, counter-piracy, mine clearance operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and salvage operations.

“I hope to enjoy myself and meet different people as well as how their navies work,” said Muirhead. “It is a part of history.”

This is the first time Israel, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are participating in RIMPAC. Additional firsts include New Zealand serving as sea combat commander and Chile serving as combined force maritime component commander. This is the first time a non-founding RIMPAC nation (Chile) will hold a component commander leadership position.

“I’m happy that I learned an engineering trade,” said Muirhead. “I never thought I would be an electrician.”

Twenty-six nations, 46 surface ships, five submarines, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise. This year’s exercise includes forces from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.

As a member of the U.S. Navy, Muirhead and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.

“Serving in the Navy means I’m looking at the bigger picture, because everything about the Navy is for the greater good,” said Muirhead

Additional information about RIMPAC is available at http://www.cpf.navy.mil