Lt. Col. (U) Haji Shariffuddin bin Pehin Dató Haji Mohammad SMB Acting Director of Training for Brunei’s Ministry of Defense
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A CH-53D Sea
Stallion offloads members of the Royal Brunei Land Force and U.S.
Marines from Landing Force CARAT after transporting them from
the jungle to a landing zone near the USS Anchorage. |
This is a golden opportunity for our soldiers, sailors and airmen to interact and get to know each other," said Lt. Col. (U) Haji Shariffuddin bin Pehin Dató Haji Mohammad SMB, Acting Director of Training for Brunei’s Ministry of Defence, at the opening ceremony for CARAT exercises in Brunei on 6 May. "Through this sort of exercise we are able to establish the basic operating procedures and understand each other better. . . . and move forward to more advanced activities."
Before it became CARAT, Bruneians called it "KINGFISHER" — an annual exercise the two countries shared for the past 14 years. For the second time in two years, U.S. Marines participated in CARAT Brunei. And for the first time, the U.S. Marine air element joined CARAT Brunei.
Jungle Training
Jungle training is the Brunei military’s forté, and 170 U.S. Marines and sailors endured sweltering temperatures, humidity so thick the air was visible, and almost endless rain showers to train in the dense forest of Brunei. Led by Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF) guides, the Marines and sailors hiked 3 kilometers and set up camp with the RBLF for the first of CARAT’s bilateral training exercises.
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