Article Posted on : - May 05, 2010

A File Photo of CARAT 2008. A US Navy Photo.

MAURA (BNS): The 16th annual bilateral Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series between the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) and United States Navy was recently launched from Muara Port in Brunei.

Approx. 1, 600 U.S. personnel will take part in this bilateral exercise. The U.S ships participating in the event includes the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46), guided-missile frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) and U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mellon (WHEC 717).

“CARAT is a valuable exercise, as it fosters relationships between our officers and Sailors, and those of our partner navies,” Rear Adm. Nora Tyson, commander of Combined Task Force 73 and Logistics Group, Western Pacific, said in an official press release on Monday.

CARAT ‘10 will play an important role in information sharing, techniques and tactics procedures, and will also serve as a platform in strengthening the ties between the countries.

For the first time ever, Riverine Warfare subject matter experts will join the CARAT.

Other engagement events for CARAT Brunei includes boat maintenance; flight deck familiarisation and landing procedures; a series of military symposiums; visit, board, search and seizure exercises; surface gunnery and manoeuvring events, an amphibious landing exercise, joint U.S. and Royal Brunei Navy band performances, as well as several community service projects, as reported in the release.

“CARAT provides an invaluable opportunity to work together to address shared security concerns and increase the operational readiness of participating forces,” said Capt. Richard L. Clemmons, commodore of Combined Task Group 73.1.

CARAT is an annual exercise consisting of a series of bilateral training between the US and several Southeast Asian countries such as Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.