| James Kon |
AROUND 700 marines and navy personnel from the United States are joining Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) personnel in the 22nd Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Exercise, which commenced yesterday at the Training Centre of the Royal Brunei Navy in Muara.
CARAT Brunei 2016 will continue until November 18, with five days of shore-based and at-sea training events that are designed to strengthen maritime partnerships and enhance military cooperation between the United States and the RBAF.
Commenting on the military ties between both countries, Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson, the Commander of Task Force 73, said, “The United States deeply values its relationship with Brunei, centred on a defence partnership that underpins our shared commitment to the peace and security of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
“Twenty-two years of CARAT solidified our relationship with the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, building genuine friendships and a strong partnership based on common interests.”
CARAT is an adaptable naval exercise; its scenarios are tailored with inputs from the United States and partner nations to meet shared maritime security priorities, such as counter-piracy, counter-smuggling, maritime interception operations and port security.
The exercise series is also a venue to share the latest best practices in search-and-rescue, military law and medicine, amphibious warfare, diving and salvage operations, and humanitarian assistance/disaster response (HA/DR).
Brigadier General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat, Joint Force Commander of the RBAF with Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson, the Commander of Task Force 73 and Craig Allen, US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam as well as officials from various agencies. – JAMES KON
In a speech at the launching ceremony of CARAT 2016, Brigadier General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat, the Joint Force Commander of the RBAF, said, “This year marks the 22nd CARAT. It has been instrumental in capacity-building in this region, especially through the sharing of the best practices.”
He added, “We also want to acknowledge other interactions between our armed forces outside of the CARAT Exercise. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation for the positive participation of the US Navy in the last ADMM-Plus on Maritime Security and Counter Terrorism Exercise last May 2016.”
In a media interview, Rear Admiral Gabrielson gave some details of the drill exercises. “We are doing a lot with the Brunei’s military. There are a number of skills that we worked on, including boarding on sea, keeping security in Brunei’s waters that could be useful for military and enforcement application.”
During the sea phase, ships from Brunei and the United States will conduct deck landing qualifications and formation ship manoeuvers. Mobile diving and salvage personnel will also operate side-by-side, while embarked on the USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52).
On shore, US marines from the 3rd Battalion of the 2nd Marine Regiment will work alongside soldiers from the Royal Brunei Land Forces (RBLF) during a jungle warfare exercise.
Additional community exchanges and skills symposia will occur throughout the exercise to increase professional development of all participating forces.
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