Defense Minister Bill Blair stated that Canada will send ships from the Royal Canadian Navy to support its Indo-Pacific strategy in the coming days.

The Department of National Defence explained that the HMCS Vancouver will depart for Hawaii to participate in the 2024 Rim of the Pacific exercise, known as RIMPAC, which it says is the largest joint and combined maritime exercise in the world.

HMCS Max Bernays, MV Asterix, and a shore unit comprising around 300 Canadian Armed Forces personnel will also participate in RIMPAC.

The department noted that this will be the second year the navy has deployed three warships to the region.

Once RIMPAC 2024 concludes, Vancouver will continue sailing west across the Pacific for Operation Horizon, which is a forward presence mission in the Indo-Pacific region.

Blair, who announced the navy's participation while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue defense forum in Singapore, stated in a press release that security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region is vital to Canada's future, and the deployment demonstrates that Canada is a partner for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.