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Southeast Asian Nations Come Together For Maritime Security Training

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090814-13
Release Date: 8/14/2009 3:51:00 PM

From Commander, Task Group 73.5 Public Affairs

SINGAPORE (NNS) -- The seventh annual Southeast Asia Cooperation Against Terrorism (SEACAT) maritime security exercise began Aug. 13 as liaison officers from the United States and six participating Southeast Asia countries began tracking simulated vessels of interest.

SEACAT is a weeklong at-sea exercise designed to highlight the value of information sharing and multinational coordination within a scenario that gives participating navies practical maritime interception training opportunities.

The U.S. Navy dock-landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), command ship for the SEACAT task group, is serving as an information fusion center for SEACAT, with liaison officers from the navies and civilian law enforcement agencies of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand on board.

In addition, the guided-missile frigate USS Crommelin (FFG 37), rescue and salvage ship USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50) and Military Sealift Command ship USNS PFC Dewayne T. Williams (T-AK 3009) are participating in the roles of simulated vessels of interest.

Participating navies will track the three simulated vessels of interest as the ships pass through international and territorial waters. They will take actions they consider appropriate within the scenario of the exercise, including boarding the vessels.

Each nation will have the ability to communicate with its liaison officer aboard Harpers Ferry and pass information between nations if desired.

Throughout the week, liaison officers will work with their U.S. Navy counterparts to share and discuss planning considerations related to maritime interception operations. In addition to these discussions about doctrine, liaison officers will develop maritime interception plans within the scenario.

"Successful maritime security has to be a collaborative effort," said Capt. Richard L. Clemmons Jr., commander, Task Group 73.5 and head of the exercise. "That's the value of exercises like SEACAT – they show how officers from other navies approach not only maritime security, but the sharing of information as well."

Officers participating in SEACAT will also benefit by taking part in watchstanding teams alongside liaison officers throughout the scenario.

"Each navy may be taking part in SEACAT on a bilateral basis, but we all work together as a team to analyze each situation as it happens," Clemmons said. "Then, as a team, we can recommend solutions for the liaison officers to propose to their headquarters."

Clemmons added that any number of factors might affect a recommended course of action. For instance, a navy might choose to board a suspect vessel, or if assets are not immediately available, it could choose to pass the information along to a neighboring country for potential action.

"The scenarios we use in SEACAT don't easily lend themselves to right or wrong solutions," Clemmons said. "Six navies may handle the same scenario six different ways. SEACAT is a great opportunity to see how each of those solutions takes shape."

During actual boardings of the designated vessels of interest by participating navies, U.S. Navy crew members trained in visit, board, search and seizure will demonstrate their techniques while witnessing those of their counterparts.

U.S. Navy maritime surveillance aircraft will also take part in the exercise.

SEACAT, which began in 2002, is a model of how navies can cooperate and work together to address issues of shared concern, including transnational crimes at sea.

For more news from Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training, visit www.navy.mil/local/carat/.