ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Exercise RIMPAC

Exercise RIMPAC is like the ultimate game of pretend for grown-ups. It's a super fun way for different countries' military teams to play together and get better at working as a team.

Imagine you're playing a game of tag with your friends. You use your body and your brain to move quickly and think strategically. That's kind of like what the military teams do during Exercise RIMPAC, but instead of playing tag, they practice how to protect their countries together.

They go out into the ocean and pretend like they're in a big, make-believe war. Each team has a special job to do, and they use huge ships, planes, and even submarines to do it. They have to be really good at listening to their leaders and working together to get the job done.

After they finish playing the game, they all get together and talk about what they could have done better. Just like when your sports coach tells you to work on your dribbling or your throwing, the military teams use Exercise RIMPAC to figure out how they can do their jobs even better in the future. It's like they're constantly practicing their superpowers so that if something bad really does happen, they'll be ready to save the day.