CARAT Between US Navy, RBAF Begins
By Lyna Mohamad & Yusrin Junaidi

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2007 exercise began yesterday afternoon with an opening ceremony onboard USS Jarret at the Muara Port.

This year's programme will focus on the enhancements of cooperation and security capabilities, promoting joint situational awareness, sharing of information and increasing interoperability between the US Navy and Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF).

Present for yesterday's ceremony were US Ambassador to Brunei His Excellency Mr Emil Skodon, FleetrCommander RBN Colonel (L) Abd Halim Hj Mohd Hanifah, Rear Admiral William Burke Commander of Task Force 73, and Commanding Officers of the combined taskforce ships.

In his opening remarks, Rear Admiral William Burke said, "Our nations are bound together by dependence on the seas and in our need for security of the vast common areas they represent... Actions to bring security to the seas serve the local interests and, at the same time, they serve the global good."

Rear Admiral Burke noted that engagement and interoperability are critical to a maritime security strategy that links regional stability to the ideals of cooperation and promotion of sovereign partnerships.

"Our strategy is designed to shape the maritime domain, respond to the full spectrum of crises and ensure that we are prepared for uncertainty in the future."

He further highlighted that "partnerships give us the right combination of experience and cooperation to impact the maritime domain, while also allowing us to bring complementary forces to bear against challenges."

"CARAT Brunei is an important maritime exercise for both our navies. It is designed to better prepare our Forces to race today’s maritime threats. Sea-borne threats, such as armed robbery, piracy, drug smuggling, human trafficking and terrorism, are real."

Many of these threats, he added, cross international borders, requiring like-minded maritime forces to cooperate and share real-time information to keep the region's waterways safe. In conclusion, Rear Admiral Burke expressed hopes of raising the bar and setting a new standard for CARAT Brunei.

CARAT is a series of bilateral military training exercises held annually between the US Navy with several Asian nations, with Brunei Darussalam being the fifth phase for 2007, following Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, The first of such bilateral exercises was held in 1995.

In this year's exercise, the US Navy utilises its frigate called the USS Jarrett, equipped with HSL Det, and together with CTF 72.Orion aircrafts as well as RBN assets, several offshore training sessions will be conducted, such as boarding, surface-tracking, as well as search and rescue.

Simultaneously, several symposiums would also be held, covering areas like Legal, Crime Scene Investigation, Visit Board Search and Seizure, Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief, Diving, as well as Aviation and Homeland Security, to be carried out in eight days. -

Additionally, two main Community Relations activities are to be conducted with the intention of providing assistance and entertainment to the SMARTER Centre and Pusat Ehsan this week. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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