HONOLULU -- The United States, particularly the Bush Administration, has often been accused by politicians, academics and assorted critics in other nations, including several in Asia, of acting unilaterally, a fancy word for going it alone.
A large-scale naval exercise just concluded in the seas around the Hawaiian Islands, however, suggests that such criticism is off the mark. Warships, submarines and aircraft from seven nations joined those of the U.S. for a month of drills, maneuvers and, especially, practice in sailing together. Officers from four more nations came along as observers.
Adm. Gary Roughead, commander of the Pacific Fleet, which brought them all together, said in an interview the exercise, known as RIMPAC for Rim of the Pacific, featured two new elements: (1) "an operational level headquarters that allowed planning at a fairly high level" so that leaders could be trained in large operations as opposed to ship-driving tactics, and (2) the arrangement, for the first time, of all participants into a common information domain.