| James Kon |
THE 23rd Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) maritime exercises was officially opened following a ceremony held yesterday morning at the Nakhoda Hall of the Royal Brunei Navy Training Centre, Muara Camp.
The five-day exercises will see some 100 marines and sailors from the United States (US) Navy and Marine Corps working together with personnel from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) to address common maritime priorities, develop professional relationships and enhance cooperation.
It will also feature comprehensive shore-based and at-sea training drills jointly officiated by RBAF Joint Force Commander Brigadier General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat and Captain Matthew J Jerbi, Deputy Commodore of Destroyer Squadron 7 of the US Navy.
Present during the opening ceremony were Scott E Woodard, Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy; Colonel Newman Yang, Defence Attaché of the US Embassy in Brunei Darussalam; and senior officers from both countries.
“This year’s exercise is the 23rd CARAT, and in the last two decades, CARAT has been a platform to enhance and develop interoperability between Brunei and the United States,” said Brigadier General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah in his address. “CARAT has always been the highlight of our militaries’ interaction and it is an annual interaction that we always look forward to. It has been instrumental in capacity-building in this region, especially through the sharing of best practices. It has also served well in enhancing interoperability and ultimately fostering a close relationship between our armed forces.” Meanwhile, Captain Jerbi highlighted, “We are pleased to have another opportunity to operate with our friends and partners from the Royal Brunei Navy. We have built meaningful relationships at the operator level with our Royal Brunei Armed Forces counterparts through CARAT, which enables our navies to work effectively together and learn from each other in ways that benefit both nations.”
This year’s CARAT Brunei, he revealed, will also involve other Brunei Government security agencies through additional exercise programmes, with participation from the Royal Brunei Land Forces (RBLF), Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF), the Military Police, the Military Legal Unit, RBAF Medical Services, the RBAF Band and Public Relations Unit.
Other government agencies such as the Royal Customs and Excise Department, Royal Brunei Police Force, Fisheries Department and Narcotics Control Bureau will also join in.
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