AIRMAN Jhaianna Santo, from St Catherine, serves aboard USS Essex, a United States (US) Navy warship which was participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

Santo graduated from St Catherine High School in 2017 and joined the Navy nine months ago.

“I joined the Navy because I wanted something different,” she said. “I am the first in my family to join the military, and now, I have inspired other family members to join as well.”

Santo said growing up, her family always told her that good manners will take a person far in the world. “Being in the military made me realise that having good manners makes you stand out to leadership,” she added.

Today, Santo serves as an aviation boatswain’s mate.

As the world’s largest international maritime exercise, 31 nations, approximately 40 surface ships, five submarines, 14 national land forces, over 140 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel participated in RIMPAC 2026, which ended July 31. This exercise 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 2026 marks the 30th exercise in a series that began in 1971.

The theme of RIMPAC 2026 is “Partners: Integrated and Prepared.” 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 programme 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.

The world’s premier maritime exercise occurs as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary.

Santo plays an important role in the exercise.

“This is my first time at RIMPAC,” Santo said. “I am excited to experience all the different activities going on and to meet sailors from other countries. As an aviation boatswain’s mate [handling], I am responsible for assisting with aircraft launch and recovery.”

She said serving in the Navy has given her a lot of stability. “It really gives me a chance to better provide for my family, make myself better and improve the choices I make.”

“I would like to thank my parents, Janet Thomas and Andrew Santo, for raising me to be a strong child and for being my main support system throughout my journey,” Santo added. “I also want to thank my son, Jhaimari, for being my main motivator to keep going.”