Excellent seamanship as CARAT ends
By CT Hj Mahmod

Brunei and US Navy ships
 in formation. Photos: Rudolf Portillo

Both Brunei and United States navies were said to have exhibited "excellent seamanship" during the 28-hour naval exercise to fight against sea borne threats in Brunei waters last Tuesday, the core mission of the Co-operation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2005 exercise.

"The exercise went very well," said Destroyer Squadron One Commander, Captain Buzz Little, who is serving as the CARAT task group commander.

Four Royal Brunei Navy ships deployed during the exercise, KDB Pejuang, KDB Seteria, KDB Penyerang and KDB Perwira, exercised maritime security tactics with the US four-ship task group.

It involved the dock landing USS Harpers Ferry, the guided missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton, frigate USS Rodney M. Davis, and the rescue and salvage ship USS Safeguard.

The exercise was designed to enhance interoperability of the participating forces in a variety of mission areas of mutual benefits. It included skills directly applicable to combat transnational crimes at sea.

Skills such as maritime interdiction, maritime surveillance and visit, board search and seizure (VBSS) were executed during the two-day exercise in the designated operation area of Brunei waters in the South China Sea.

"The exercise is much focus onto our junior officers to practise for the future, and for both navies to work together in preserving the freedom of commerce in the sea", said. Captain Buzz Little. "We should need to work together in anti-piracy and terrorism, or for humanitarian relief, " he said.

The most important part of this exercise, said Ministry of Defence spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Ramli Hadis, "is to maintain the military bilateral relationship".

Touching on the previous CARAT, Captain Buzz Little said, "both navies worked on bilateral naval maneuvers. At the beginning of last year, there were boarding operations and maritime interception operation".

The aircraft landing exercise of two of Royal Brunei Air Force's Blackhawks on Harpers Ferry was a new addition to the CARAT exercise through the joint services operation with Royal Brunei Air Force.

Both pilots of the Blackhawks were commended for their perfect landing on board Harpers Ferry. This is the first time the Blackhawks had done such a landing.

Approximately 800 US Navy personnel took part of in the Brunei phase of 2005 edition of CARAT, which officially closes today, along with several US Coast Guardsmen and a US Army veterinarian.

In addition to the very specific maritime security skills, other important exercises included at-sea maneuvering and communications, command and control, and diving and salvage.

Seminars from damage control to logistics were also scheduled. Social events gave the exercise participants a chance to develop personal relationships critical to combined operations.

US sailors had also participated in a community service project at Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah here.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin