U.S. Navy Musician 3rd
Class Gabriel Brown, a vocalist with the U.S. 7th Fleet Band “Orient
Express” performs at the Darasamut Catholic School CARAT 2012. (U.S.
Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Daniel J.
Calderon/Released)
Patcharapol Panrak
Thai and American naval forces wrapped up their 18th
Combat Afloat Readiness and Training exercise, which this year focused
extensively on amphibious assault.
Royal Thai Fleet commander Adm. Kanat Thongpool
presided over the May 25 closing ceremonies for the nine-day exercise in
Sattahip. Rear Adm. Paithoon Prasopsin, commander of the Royal Thai
Navy’s Frigate Squadron 2, and Rear Adm. Thomas F. Carney, commander of
the U.S. Logistics Group for the Western Pacific, represented the battle
groups for the two nations.
CARAT employed five U.S. ships and nine Thai vessels.
“Special Mission Forces” were created, using sailors, divers, staff from
the Thai Naval Ordinance Department. A total of eight aircraft and 2,500
personnel took part.
Kanat said this year’s war games focused on use of
unmanned aerial vehicles and mobile medical services training. A big
portion of the training was devoted to amphibious assaults.
The exercise’s finale May 24 saw the HTMS Surin and
USS Germantown coordinate a simulated attack on Sattahip’s Yao Beach
utilizing 18 amphibious vehicles, hundreds of sailors and marines and
two F-16 aircraft.
The training covered planning to boarding combat
ships and setting of equipment, followed by moving forces to targeted
areas. The most important training step came before using the amphibious
attack with a special force sent to destroy all obstacles. Then the F-16
aircraft dropped bombs at the beach.
The training was divided into three parts consisting
of training at harbors and in the field, sea training and summarization
and training evaluation in the Sattahip field and the upper Thai Gulf.
Apart from training, participants also took part in
community relations projects, offering medical and other community
services.
Royal Thai and U.S.
Service members compete in a sack race during a joint sports day event
for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2012.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert
Clowney/Released)
U.S. Marines, assigned to
Fleet Anti-terrorism Security Team Pacific (FASTPAC), board a Thai
fishing vessel from a U.S. Coast Guard short range prosecutor during a
visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) exercise with the Royal Thai
Navy (RTN). The RTN sailors and officers pretended to be fisherman who
had their vessel boarded by the Marine FASTPAC team. The VBSS exercise
also included a maritime law enforcement team, assigned to USCGC Waesche
(WMSL 751). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class
N. Ross Taylor/Released)
U.S. Marines with Company
F, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conduct a clearing exercise in a
Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) training area as part of a
simulated amphibious assault conducted with Royal Thai Marines. (U.S.
Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Daniel J.
Calderón/Released)
Royal Thai Marines set
off a charge as part of a simulated amphibious assault conducted with
U.S. Marines for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)
Thailand 2012. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist
Daniel J. Calderón/Released)
