News release
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Second Lt. Philip Olivero, a native of Santa Clarita, is assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) embarked aboard USS Essex, a U.S. Navy warship participating in the biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise in and around the Hawaiian Islands, according to a news release from the U.S. Navy.
Olivero graduated from West Ranch High School in 2015 and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Southern California at Santa Barbara in 2020, the release said. He joined the Marine Corps five years ago.
“I joined the Marine Corps after being around it my whole life,” Olivero said in the release. “My father served 22 years in the Corps, and I had a total respect for him, and I also wanted to be active and have an active lifestyle.”
“Early on, it was instilled in me the ability to adapt to pressure,” Olivero added. “I didn’t have a lot of pressure on me, but I was exposed to it at a young age, and after joining the Corps, it prepared me more than those who weren’t.”
Today, Olivero serves as a ship’s team embarkation officer.
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 are participating in RIMPAC 2026.
“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,” the release said.
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.
“My first impression of RIMPAC is that it is so wide-scale,” Olivero said in the release. “It contributes not only to America, but also to many other nations and fosters relationships with our allies.”
Olivero serves aboard a Navy ship that operates far forward, around the world and around the clock.
“Serving in the Marine Corps means I have pride in the uniform, pride in what I have accomplished and I’m making my father proud,” Olivero said.
Olivero added he is grateful to others for helping make a career in the Marine Corps possible.
“I would like to thank my dad, retired Master Sgt. Philip Olivero, for guiding me and letting me know what to expect when I joined, so I was not surprised,” added Olivero. “I also want to thank my mom, Shanika, for being there for our family when my dad was away and being the rock of our family.”
More information about RIMPAC is available here: www.cpf.navy.mil/RIMPAC.
