U.S., Hong Kong Join Forces as SAREX 2008 Draws to Close
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS081104-07
Release Date: 11/4/2008 6:27:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW/AW) David L. Smart & Chief Mass Communication Specialit (SW) Ray Mooney, Fleet Public Affairs Center Pacific
HONG KONG (NNS) -- More than 400 personnel from the U.S. Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard joined forces with Hong Kong's
Government Flying Service (GFS) to conduct the final long-range phase of Hong Kong Search and Rescue Exercise (SAREX) 2008 Oct. 30.
SAREX, an annual exercise involving search-and-rescue (SAR) participants and observers from the Asia-Pacific region, began Oct. 29 with a short-range exercise involving units from Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China.
The long-range exercise featured U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard aircraft conducting SAR operations with the GFS in an area south of Hong Kong.
"We simulated an aircraft crashing into the South China Sea about 80 nautical miles out," said Raymond K. W. Tse of the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (CAD). "We dropped the target last evening around 6 p.m. This provided a very good drifting environment for the target for about 17 hours. That can simulate a vast area that needs to be covered for search and rescue. Then we deployed four SRUs (search-and-rescue units) to cover the area to try and find the target."
A Coast Guard C-130 Hercules from Barbers Point, Hawaii, and a HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter from the Alaska Air National Guard's 210th Rescue Squadron (RQS) searched for the target – five tires lashed together and floating in the open ocean.
In addition to the C-130 and HH-60G, U.S. personnel participating in the long-range exercise included Rescue Coordination Center personnel from Coast Guard District 14 in Honolulu and pararescuemen from the 212th Rescue Squadron, according to Steve Bennet, of U.S. Pacific Fleet. The forward-deployed guided missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) provided on-site refueling capability for the HH-60G.
Although the target was not found during the three-and-a-half-hour search time allotted for the exercise, the mission was still a success, according to Air Force Capt. Matthew Harper, a HH-60G pilot for the 210th RQS.
"It was a success knowing that we can go out and operate with another country or multiple countries in a civilian SAR capability," said Harper. "When the SAR is being run by another country, we can be of assistance to them. We can be a tool that they can use."
Interoperability between different U.S. units was also demonstrated during the exercise. Most notable was the ability of Shiloh, which is forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, to support helicopters from another service.
"As for our unit, a new capability would be working with the Navy and their ships," said Harper. "We can get gas to prolong our search capability. The Shiloh was basically our tanker.
"If this was a real SAR, the search would have continued," Harper added. "Obviously, we did not find the target today, so the search would still be going on. We would be utilizing as many assets as we had."
Observers from the United States and various Asian-Pacific nations were present Oct. 29 during the short-range SAREX, which featured Hong Kong government forces and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison.
"Yesterday we went out and looked at the short-range exercise for Hong Kong SAREX," said Army Lt. Col. Scott Mitchell, U.S. Pacific Command exercise officer for SAREX. "We had both the Government Flying Service from Hong Kong and the PLA, in coordination, go out and discover a simulated helicopter that had to ditch in the water.
"It was impressive – the amount of assets and the ability of the two different governmental services being able to work together to not only identify the downed aircraft but also react to it and then recover those personnel using a variety of different means with swimmers and winching off of multiple different types of aircraft."
The SAREX comes at the completion of a three-week SAR training course for Hong Kong's CAD students, enabling them to put to practical use what so far they've only learned in books.
"Traditionally, after the SAR course, we will perform a search and rescue exercise and put them into an actual situation, try to practice," Tse said. "So with completion of that, we will issue a SAR certificate, and then they will be a fully qualified search-and-rescue expert."
The two SAREX events followed the conclusion of a two-day search-and-rescue seminar sponsored by the International Civil Aviation Organization. The seminar was designed to allow the exchange of SAR ideas and procedures.
In addition to the United States, the seminar included SAR professionals from Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Participants in the seminar were allowed to observe the short-range SAREX.
During the week prior to SAREX, crews from the Coast Guard C-130, the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons and the Shiloh had the opportunity to train with GFS assets.
"These guys have invited us out on everything that they do," said Lt. Col. Tim O'Brien, commander of the 210th RQS. "They've taken us out on familiarization flights on their helicopters. We've landed on islands here in Hong Kong. Our pararescuemen got a chance to go down the hoist and into the water, and a couple of our guys have even had the chance to go on actual rescue missions. So they've just been fabulous hosts."
In the end, both the classroom study and real-world scenarios proved their worth to the SAR professionals who attended.
"I thought it was great coming over here to Hong Kong and interacting with the Government Flying Service folks, our Coast Guard brethren and the Navy folks – basically finding out that we're all the same," said Harper. "We wear different uniforms but we're ultimately the same. We're very similar in the way we operate."
For more news from Pacific Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/cpf/.
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