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Opening Ceremony in Philippines Marks Official Start of CARAT 2007

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070606-02
Release Date: 6/6/2007 7:18:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jessica M. Bailey, Commander, Task Group 73.5 Public Affairs

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (NNS) -- The first phase of the 13th annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series began here May 31 with an opening ceremony at the officers' club of Headquarters, Naval Forces Western Mindanao.

In his opening remarks before an audience of local officials and U.S. Navy and Philippine armed forces personnel, Commander Philippine Fleet Rear Adm. Petronilo P. Magno said he is hopeful that CARAT 2007 will be a very successful bilateral exercise between the United States and Philippine armed forces.

"Today, I am very glad that our navies of the Philippines and the United States of America continue to nurture special bilateral and diplomatic relations," Magno said. "I am certain that much will be gained from this exercise as we further enhance our knowledge and capabilities in humanitarian assistance, as well as in tactical and combat operations."

CARAT is a sequential series of bilateral military exercises the U.S. Navy performs annually with the armed forces of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The exercise is designed to enhance operational cohesiveness between the participating forces and build relationships between its participants through community service and social events, as well as medical, dental and engineering civil action projects.

With the ongoing threat of terrorism and increased incidents of transnational crimes, there is a cooperative effort between the United States and the Philippines to share critical information and to refine tactics, techniques, and procedures in an effort to help keep vital commercial sea lanes safe from maritime transnational threats.

"Seaborne threats such as armed robbery, piracy, drug smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism, are very real," said Commander Task Force 73 Rear Adm. William R. Burke, executive agent of the CARAT exercise series. "Many of these threats cross international borders, requiring like-minded maritime forces to cooperate, and share real time information to keep the region's waterways safe."

The sharing of information between the principals in this exercise is made possible with systems such as the Combined Enterprise Regional Information Exchange System (CENTRIXS). CENTRIXS is a real time, tactical information sharing system that will allow U.S. and Philippine Navy ships to communicate securely and share information in both text and Web-based formats during CARAT.

"With CENTRIXS installed in the exercise headquarters, and throughout the U.S. CARAT Task Group, we have an opportunity to reach new heights in combined command and control this year during the at-sea phase of the exercise," Burke said.

Magno said CARAT exemplifies the best training and preparation to discourage maritime terrorism and defeat criminal activity at sea.

"As transnational and trans-border crimes are becoming a grave concern to the global community, this year's CARAT is more than a welcome opportunity for us to exchange pertinent information and exercises on a broad range of fields," he said. "We are doubling our efforts to preserve the peace in the seas."

During the at-sea phase, U.S. Navy Sailors and Coast Guardsmen will conduct combined training with the Philippine armed forces in a number of different operating areas, with an emphasis on maritime interdiction and surveillance. U.S. Marines will bring their expertise to the combined training environment, conducting demanding amphibious operations in a mock assault exercise.

"CARAT presents each of our navies with an opportunity to enhance the practical skills of our Sailors in several tactical areas," Burke said. "By operating together in an exercise environment, we develop mutual awareness and understanding."

As in prior years, the humanitarian effort during each CARAT phase allows all participants an opportunity to serve host-nation communities. U.S. Navy medical, dental, veterinary, and engineering professionals will work alongside their Philippine armed forces counterparts in civic-action projects.

"The value of these projects is tremendous for our uniformed personnel who may find themselves working together in a field hospital or a combat engineering environment in the future," Burke said. "All of these projects allow us to build valuable relationships and friendships with our exercise partners."

The three-ship U.S. Navy task group for CARAT is led by Commander, Destroyer Squadron 1, Capt. Al Collins, embarked aboard the dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49). Joining Harpers Ferry, the exercise flagship, in Task Group 73.5 are the guided-missile frigates USS Jarrett (FFG 33) and USS Ford (FFG 54).

Collins' staff is based in San Diego. Harpers Ferry operates out of Sasebo, Japan as part of the 7th Fleet's Forward Deployed Naval Forces. Jarrett is homeported in San Diego, while Ford is homeported in Everett, Wash.