SAF, US FORCES KICK OFF ANNUAL BILATERAL EXERCISE

In a show of the strong bilateral ties between the forces of Singapore and the United States, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the United States Navy (USN) and the United States Coast Guard commenced the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise on 8 Jun at Changi Naval Base.

Said the Republic of Singapore Navy Chief of Staff-Naval Staff and Fleet Commander, Rear-Admiral (RADM) Ng Chee Peng, at the launch of CARAT 2009: "CARAT is testimony to the strong and close ties between our two countries and our two armed forces."

CARAT is one of the largest bilateral naval exercises between the two nations. It has been steadily increasing its scope of complexity over the last 15 years. The focus of this year's exercise is to hone conventional maritime capabilities to boost maritime security.

Comprising 1,500 personnel, 11 ships, 18 aircraft and two submarines from the three forces, this year's exercise is the first time that inter-submarine maneouvres will be carried out. Seeking to boost interoperability further, submariners from the RSN and the USN will interact with each other in a submarine tracking exercise.

This year, the two navies will be involved in a free-play maritime exercise that will simulate peace-time, troubled peace-time and full-war situations at sea.

At the launch, RADM Nora Tyson, Commander Task Force 73 USN, emphasised the necessity for CARAT: "Free and open access to the seas is the foundation our countries' economies. In sum, maritime security is at the forefront of national security concerns for both Singapore and the United States."

Captain (CAPT) William Kearns, Commander Destroyer Squadron 31 USN, added: "We greatly value the relationship between our navies and we look for opportunities to work together anytime. CARAT is the premier annual event for our navies to come together to carry out complex operations... There's a lot that we can learn from each other during these exercises."

COL Wan (left) and CAPT Kearns, leaders of the combined CARAT task group, discussing the annual bilateral exercise on the deck of the RSS Intrepid, one of the two Republic of Singapore Navy's Formidable-class frigates which are participating in the exercise.

CAPT Kearnes and Colonel (COL) Wellman Wan, Commander First Flotilla RSN, are joint-leaders of the combined CARAT task group.

"The relationship between the RSN and USN has strengthened over the years, particularly by the CARAT series. The USN is an important friend and also a good professional partner," said COL Wan.

Exercise participants will also be involved in a joint community project at the Singapore Children's Society on 9 Jun. They will give motivational talks as well as host a barbecue session for the children. The entire exercise will end on 19 Jun.

CARAT participants have historically included the navies from the South-east Asian countries such as Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. This series of sequential exercises was formed with the aim of scheduling previously unrelated bilateral exercises between the US Armed Forces and regional navies, in order to make more efficient use of assets and forces from all parties.

08 Jun 09 - Singapore, US in Annual Maritime Exercise
08 Jun 09 - News Video: Singapore, US in Annual Maritime Exercise