Canadian Armed Forces deliver first-ever care Aboard U.S. Ship at RIMPAC 2026
Press Release
When referring to Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world's largest international maritime biennial exercise, the medical component may not be what comes to mind. However, RIMPAC 2026 marked a significant milestone: for the first time, Canadian medical personnel provided real-world medical care to patients aboard USS Essex (LHD 2), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship.
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Forward Surgical Team (FST), consisting of a trauma surgeon, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, anesthesiologist and transfusion medicine specialist, emergency physician, operating room nurse, and operating room technician, embarked USS Essex on July 2 for approximately one month to provide combined Role 2 medical capabilities, at sea to allied and partner personnel participating in RIMPAC 26.
Lieutenant-Commander Sebastian Vuong, Anesthesiologist and Transfusion Medicine Specialist with 1 Canadian Field Hospital, was impressed by how quickly the teams came together.
"Most of us had never met before the start of RIMPAC. Within just a few days, we had integrated seamlessly into mixed surgical teams made up of Canadian, and U.S. personnel."
Aboard USS Essex, the CAF FST worked alongside U.S. Navy Fleet Surgical Team 5, the U.S. Army 105th Surgical Augmentation Detachment, and the Canadian Medical Emergency Response Team (CMERT), operating as a single multinational medical capability. Led by Major Nadine Verwey, CMERT is a medical evacuation and en route critical care capability. that bridges the gap between the point of injury (Role 1) and higher-level medical facilities (Role 2 or Role 3).
The combined teams participated in a humanitarian assistance and disaster response mass casualty exercise. This provided an opportunity to become familiar with the ship's extensive medical facilities, which include four operating rooms, a 15-bed intensive care unit, a 36-bed ward, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, a blood bank, dental services, pharmacy, and primary care facilities.
Master Corporal Claire MacDonald, an Operating Room Technician, reflected on the opportunity: "It's been an incredible opportunity to sail aboard a U.S. Navy ship and work alongside a multinational surgical team. I look forward to bringing those experiences back to Canada, helping us continue to build an even stronger and more interoperable surgical capability."
The successful integration of Canadian personnel demonstrated Canada's growing role as a trusted partner in multinational expeditionary medical operations and highlighted the CAF's ability to deliver advanced healthcare capabilities in complex maritime environments.
RIMPAC 2026 is the 30th exercise in the series that began in 1971. 30 nations, 30 ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 190 aircraft, and more than 30,000 personnel participated in RIMPAC in and around the Hawaiian Islands from June 24 to July 31.