Malaysia Phase of 11th Annual CARAT Exercise Begins
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS050711-13
Release Date: 7/12/2005 9:00:00 AM
By Chief Journalist Melinda Larson, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 1 Public Affairs
KEMAMAN, Malaysia (NNS) -- The third phase of the 2005 Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series officially began here July 9 when 200 U.S. and Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) exercise participants gathered at a local resort for an opening ceremony that included a taste of the local cuisine and Malaysian hospitality.
A three-ship U.S. CARAT task group, consisting of the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4), guided-missile frigate USS Rodney M. Davis (FFG 60), and rescue and salvage ship USS Safeguard (ARS 50), arrived July 8, for the 11th edition of CARAT Malaysia.
The mid-afternoon opening ceremony included remarks from Brig. Gen. Mazelan bin Kasap, who emphasized the importance of the exercise, and concluded with U.S. Sailors and Coast Guardsmen sharing a Malaysian style meal with their exercise counterparts from the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and Royal Malaysian Air Force.
“We cannot deny the fact that our forces will one day be required to operate together,” said bin Kasap, who is commander of the 10 Paratrooper Brigade. “I am confident that with the expanded scope of CARAT, coupled with equal emphasis on the multi-dimensional warfare and jointness, will invariably sharpen our joint and combined skills.”
During CARAT Malaysia, expertise and experience will be shared by visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) teams during several maritime interdiction and boarding scenarios and practical exercises. The two militaries will place an emphasis on information sharing through the Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System (CENTRIXS), which will be installed at Kuantan Naval Base, allowing leaders ashore to maintain situational awareness and interact with afloat forces during the underway portion of the exercise.
“Important exercise events take place during this exercise that sharpen our skills in a variety of mission areas of mutual benefit, including maritime security, amphibious operations, and diving and salvage,” noted Capt. Buzz Little, commander, Destroyer Squadron 1, the CARAT task group commander, following the opening ceremony.
In addition to many standard naval drills, such as at-sea gunnery, maneuvering and communications, paratroopers from a Royal Malay Regiment will conduct an amphibious assault from Boxer’s embarked landing craft air-cushions (LCAC). Divers from both navies will learn from each other during a combined salvage exercise between Sailors from Safeguard and a Malaysian diving support vessel in waters off a nearby island.
Other Royal Malaysian Navy ships scheduled to participate in CARAT include a frigate, corvette and an offshore patrol vessel.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) will also play a role in the exercise during an at-sea air defense exercise. The RMAF will also interact with personnel from the U.S. Navy’s Patrol Squadron (VP) 40 during a maritime patrol symposium at Kuantan Air Base.
On land, forces from both nations will join together for medical and dental civic action projects, and a school painting project during a community service project. In addition, 40 senior MAF officers will take part in a three-day symposium led by U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard officers discussing legal, logistics and public affairs issues.
“CARAT can act as a bridge between both armed forces, thus further improves combined capabilities and interoperability,” bin Kasap said during his opening remarks.
Little agreed. “There is no substitute for what we gain from interacting with each other on a personal level,” he said. “There is real professional and personal growth potential in every event, be it operational, community service or social.”
Approximately 1,600 U.S. personnel are taking part in CARAT Malaysia.
CARAT is a regularly scheduled series of bilateral military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Rear Adm. Kevin M. Quinn, commander of Logistics Group Western Pacific, who operates from Singapore, 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, as is Boxer. Rodney M. Davis is homeported in Everett, Wash. Safeguard is forward-deployed to Sasebo, Japan. VP-40 is based at Whidbey Island, Wash.
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