First Phase of CARAT Series Begins in Singapore
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS050601-11
Release Date: 6/1/2005 4:19:00 PM
By Chief Journalist Melinda Larson, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 1 Public Affairs
SINGAPORE (NNS) -- The Singapore phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2005 began May 31 at the Republic of Singapore’s Changi Naval Base.
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) hosted the opening ceremony for members of the CARAT task group, who were addressed by Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, commander of Logistics Group Western Pacific.
“Today each of you are in the middle of a truly historical period for our navies and the worldwide battle against transnational maritime threats and piracy,” Quinn told the group of about 300 officers and Sailors of both navies, including the RSN’s Fleet Commander Col. Chew Men Leong. “Many of the skills and technologies we exercise in CARAT can be directly applied to the ongoing regional maritime security efforts.”
Highlighting past efforts, the opening ceremony began with a five-minute video collage of previous CARATs, set to dramatic music including the “Star Wars” theme. Following the opening video, Chew welcomed the group to the 11th annual CARAT, noting that the exercise gets stronger each year.
“CARAT remains a high point of bilateral defense cooperation between the two countries, which grows from strength to strength with every passing year,” said Chew. “If there is to be one hallmark of CARAT series, it has been the commitment of the U.S. Armed Forces working closely with Singapore to continuously further the boundaries of complexity and interoperability.”
CARAT is designed to enhance the interoperability of the two navies in a variety of mission areas of mutual benefit, including skills directly applicable to countering seaborne terrorism threats and transnational crimes at sea.
“Each and every event we conduct during CARAT contributes to building capacity, because most critical to the fight against maritime threats of any type, especially should we be in a position to battle them together, is our ability to work well with each other,” Quinn said.
In order for the forces to work together, the navies must be able to communicate. For the second year in a row, the Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System (CENTRIXS) will be deployed aboard the Republic of Singapore Ship (RSS) Endeavour. CENTRIXS will allow the task group at sea to share the sea situation picture with CARAT headquarters ashore on a real-time basis.
“[CENTRIXS] continued deployment will help us to stage a realistic and demanding exercise, and strengthen interoperability,” Chew said, adding that RSN intends to complement CENTRIXS by incorporating an internal, satellite-based communications system called ACCESS, which will allow a common operational picture to be shared within the RSN component of the task group. "Combined with CENTRIXS, the extent of networking between ships within the task group and that between the task group and the ashore HQ will be pushed up a notch."
The forces will operate together in a number of mission areas including at-sea maneuvering and communications, command and control, and diving and salvage. Pierside boarding events, and at-sea visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) will further develop maritime security skills.
One of the highlights of CARAT 2005 will be a combined missile exercise, Chew said.
“For the first time in CARAT, the RSN will be firing the Barak missile against the drone flying the profile of an incoming enemy aircraft at a higher altitude,” Chew said.
During past CARATs, Barak were fired on drones simulating inbound antiship missiles and also against surface targets.
A variety of seminars in other areas, ranging from damage control to logistics are also scheduled, as are social events and community service projects that give exercise participants a chance to develop personal relations critical to combined operations. Quinn encouraged all of the officers and Sailors to interact.
“There are numerous opportunities to do that during CARAT, and I encourage each of you to embrace every one of those opportunities,” Quinn said.
The leader of the RSN echoed Quinn’s sentiments, suggesting that strengthening personal relationships will enhance the operability cornerstone on which CARAT is built.
“There is nothing more important than for each participant of CARAT ’05 to utilize all interaction opportunities to get to know your counterpart, forge new bonds of friendship and reinvigorate existing ones,” Chew said.
The CARAT task group, under the leadership of Commander, Destroyer Squadron 1 Capt. Lothrop Little, is made up of the dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), the guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60), the frigate USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60), and the rescue and salvage ship USS Safeguard (ARS 50). Other elements, including P-3C Orion and SH-60 Seahawk aircraft, Navy Seabees, a Coast Guard training team, Army veterinarians and a variety of support commands will also take part in CARAT.
Quinn is responsible for overall CARAT coordination for U.S. participants in his executive agent role as Commander, Task Force 712.
Little’s staff is based in San Diego. Paul Hamilton is homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Rodney M. Davis in Everett, Wash. Fort McHenry and Safeguard are forward-deployed to Sasebo, Japan.
CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. Singapore is the first phase of the annual exercise series that will continue through late August.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
