A St. Mary’s County native is serving aboard one of the U.S. Navy’s premier warships this summer as it leads American forces in the world’s largest international maritime exercise off Hawaii.
Petty Officer 1st Class Scott Barber, who grew up in Hollywood and graduated from Great Mills High School in 2012, works as an aviation structural mechanic aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in late June to lead the U.S. contingent in Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026. Barber joined the Navy 12 years ago after participating in Junior ROTC at Great Mills.
“The Navy offered me the opportunity to be part of a close-knit community while building a successful career,” Barber said in a Navy release. “That made it the best path for me instead of attending college right away. My grandfather and uncles also served. Their example inspired me to continue my family’s tradition of military service.”
RIMPAC, held every two years since 1971, is now in its 30th iteration and is billed by the Navy as the world’s largest international maritime exercise. This year’s exercise, themed “Partners: Integrated and Prepared,” runs from June 24 through July 31 and brings together roughly 30 nations, more than 30 surface ships, five submarines, upward of 200 aircraft and about 30,000 personnel operating in and around the Hawaiian Islands, according to Navy officials and multiple military media outlets tracking the exercise. The drills range from gunnery, missile and anti-submarine exercises to amphibious operations, mine clearance, counter-piracy training and explosive ordnance disposal.
The Theodore Roosevelt departed its home port of San Diego on June 15 as part of a broader Indo-Pacific deployment and arrived in Hawaii on June 23 ahead of RIMPAC’s start. The carrier is leading a U.S. contingent that includes the cruiser USS Chosin, destroyers USS Paul Hamilton, USS Decatur, USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Carl M. Levin, the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, and the attack submarines USS Charlotte and USS Columbia, according to Navy figures. Rear Adm. Richard Meyer, commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet, is serving as commander of the exercise’s Combined Task Force, with Chile, Japan, South Korea and Canada filling other senior roles in the multinational command structure.
While in port, sailors from the Theodore Roosevelt’s strike group have taken part in community outreach around Oahu, including beach and park cleanups alongside local volunteer groups. Barber’s own role during the exercise has focused on hospitality and outreach of a different kind: helping run ship tours for visiting foreign delegations and members of the public.
“RIMPAC is an incredible experience,” Barber said. “This is my first time participating, and seeing an exercise of this size while working alongside so many partner nations has been remarkable. It is impressive to witness the level of teamwork and cooperation that goes into an operation of this scale. My job is to support the mission by ensuring ship tours run smoothly, and visitors have a positive experience.”
Barber’s path to the Navy runs through Great Mills High School’s Navy Junior ROTC program, one of the largest in Maryland. The unit, formed in 2003, has been recognized in recent years as a Naval Honor School and was named the nation’s most-improved NJROTC unit out of roughly 630 programs nationwide in 2021. Great Mills, founded in 1929, is among the oldest high schools in Southern Maryland and sits in a part of St. Mary’s County long shaped by its proximity to Patuxent River Naval Air Station, with many local families connected to the Navy or defense contracting.
Barber, who hopes to complete an associate degree in organizational leadership, credited his hometown for shaping the leadership qualities he now relies on in the fleet. “Growing up in a small community taught me that it truly takes a village to help people succeed,” he said. “I was surrounded by mentors who challenged me to be my best and encouraged me to reach my full potential. Those lessons continue to shape the way I support my teammates today.”
He singled out two shipmates, Petty Officer 1st Class Cruz and Petty Officer 1st Class Johnson, along with his division officer, for steady support during difficult stretches of his career, along with family and friends back home in Hollywood.
RIMPAC 2026 comes as the United States marks its 250th anniversary, a milestone Navy officials have tied to the exercise’s emphasis on long-standing international partnerships. The exercise is scheduled to conclude July 31, after which the Theodore Roosevelt is expected to continue its deployment across the Indo-Pacific region.
