Naval marksmen aim for the sky during the
opening ceremonies for this year’s Cooperation Readiness Afloat And
Training (CARAT) exercises. The 2011 CARAT event began May 11 and
concludes today, May 20.
More than 150 training and cultural-exchange
events are underway as Thai and American naval forces meet again for the
2011 CARAT exercises in Sattahip.
Four U.S. ships and a total of 3,500 personnel are participating in this
year’s Cooperation Readiness Afloat And Training (CARAT) exercises. The
war games launched May 11 with shore-based activities, including
engineering and damage control training exchanges, joint medical, dental
and civic action projects, and joint community service projects at local
schools.
Adm. Chaiyos Sunthornnak (left), director of the Thai CARAT forces and
chief of Frigate Squadron 2, and Rear Adm. Thomas Carney, commander of
Task Force 73 preside over the CARAT opening ceremonies.
The at-sea phase, which concludes May 20, focuses on developing maritime
security capabilities in areas such as maritime interdiction,
information sharing, combined operations at sea, patrols and gunnery
exercises, and anti-piracy and anti-smuggling exercises.
Adm. Chaiyos Sunthornnak, director of the Thai CARAT forces and chief of
Frigate Squadron 2, said the exercise is intended to both foster
relations between the two countries and improve cooperation and
interoperability of the two navies.
Exercises focusing on amphibious assaults, patrolling marine transport
routes and other marine exercises have raised confidence levels in the
past, Chaiyos said.
In all, seven Thai warships, three aircraft and personnel from the
Marine Corps and Air and Coastal Defense command are partaking in the
games. The U.S. contributed the amphibious dock landing ship USS
Tortuga, the guided-missile destroyer USS Howard, the frigate USS Reuben
James and the rescue / salvage ship USNS Safeguard.
Additional participants include an amphibious landing force of Marines
from 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines, U.S. Navy Seabees, a U.S. Coast Guard
training team, and P-3C Orion and SH-60 Seahawk aircraft.
“We expect this will be a historic year for CARAT, with some of the most
complex training ever,” Rear Adm. Thomas Carney, commander of Task Force
73, said in a pre-exercise statement. “In the year since our last
exercise the Thai navy successfully completed its first anti-piracy
mission as part of Task Force 151, and the aircraft carrier Chakri
Naruebet responded to floods in the South to save Thai citizens and
international guests.”
