Asia Pacific Defense Forum Winter 1998

Friendships forged between United States and Southeast Asian militaries during past Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises laid the groundwork for sailors and Marines in Southeast Asia to participate in the 1998 exercise with confidence and expertise. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises between naval forces of the United States and several Southeast Asian nations. For the fourth consecutive year, CARAT demonstrated the continuing commitment of the United States to security and stability in Southeast Asia. From 12 May to 5 August 1998, CARAT 98 involved armed forces from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Singapore working bilaterally with a U.S. Navy Task Group. Nearly 1,700 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel served as both teachers and students while strengthening the bonds of friendship between the United States and the participating countries.

CARAT exercises are sponsored annually by the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and scheduled by the Commander, U.S. Seventh Fleet. The Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific, is responsible for overall coordination of CARAT activities. For more than a year, staff members of Logistics Group Western Pacific, located in Singapore, as well as representatives of other Pacific commands, planned the exercise with participating nations.

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have conducted bilateral exercises with various nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for more than 16 years, and the CARAT series of exercises encompasses a number of the training exercises that were previously scheduled with Southeast Asian nations.

CARAT in Thailand

Boarding Team

A Thai-U.S. naval boarding team is lowered from the USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) for a naval boarding exercise.

CARAT is conducted in separate, bilateral phases between the United States and one country. This year's CARAT began in Brunei, moved next to Malaysia, then to Thailand, and then to Singapore. CARAT concluded with a Passing Exercise (PASSEX) between USS Mobile Bay and units of the Philippine Navy (a Passing Exercise is an exercise of opportunity when U.S. ships pass in the vicinity of another friendly navy). Because the Visiting Forces Agreement had not yet been ratified by the Philippine Senate, no in-port training was conducted this year in the Philippines.

During the opening ceremony of the Singapore phase on July 20, Col. Ronnie Tay, Commander, First Flotilla, Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), expressed hope and appreciation for the long-term benefits of the CARAT experience. "The CARAT 98 exercise provides the United States and the Singaporeans an invaluable opportunity to interoperate in the areas of naval and air warfare, practice common operating procedures, and learn from one another. It is a testimony of the close and very friendly relations between our two navies that the annual CARAT event is something we very much look forward to each year," Col. Tay said.

Capt. Frank Guest, Commander, Destroyer Squadron 31 from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet Task Group for CARAT 98, underscored the U.S. resolve to maintain its close association with Southeast Asia: "The U.S. Navy, and the Seventh Fleet in particular, are very committed to this region. We understand its strategic significance and the importance of good relations with all the countries down here. We're doing our part to make sure that those bonds and friendships stay strong."

While each host nation determined its specific objectives, the overall training objectives for the U.S. forces were to:

CARAT in Singapore

Officers having lunch

Singapore and U.S. naval officers have lunch together after opening ceremonies for CARAT 98.

To maximize training resources during the Asian financial crisis, planning conferences scheduled low cost training events that save fuel. Consequently, the in-port training gained in complexity and duration while the amount of underway time was reduced in some countries compared to previous years.

A typical phase in CARAT begins with an in-port period during which U.S. Navy personnel conduct classes and practical exercises to prepare participants for the eventual at-sea training. Exercise participants plan for the underway period and amphibious exercises, write operational plans, and coordinate the timing of the various drills and serials to be conducted later. Capt. Guest stressed another aspect of the in-port period: "We put a lot of emphasis on personal interaction between counterparts through structured social and sporting events during the in-port phase. We hope to translate that personal interaction into confidence at sea."

The underway time--just like all other aspects of the exercise--varied in each phase based on what the host nation wanted to accomplish. Just before heading to sea, the U.S. and host nation forces would exchange "sea riders." The presence of exchange officers on the ships helped alleviate any existing language barriers over the radio and also gave many junior officers a first look at how other navies conduct operations at sea. Royal Thai Navy Cmdr. Sukaram was enthusiastic about his time aboard USS Mobile Bay: "This exercise was very beneficial for us to see how the U.S. ships accomplish their mission."

Typical exercise events included tactical maneuvering, antisubmarine warfare training, anti-surface warfare training, and anti-air warfare conducted against drones. USS Sides carried a drone detachment from Fleet Activities in Okinawa. When a drone was launched, the surface action group ships tracked and reported its position. In Thailand and Singapore, the ships conducted live gunnery to engage the drone.

With the U.S. Navy submarine USS Jefferson City (SSN 759) participating in Thailand and Singapore phases this year, the antisubmarine warfare (ASW) events took on greater significance. The ASW exercises tested the coordination efforts of the combined navies. The Maritime Patrol aircraft and the LAMPS helicopter embarked on the USS Mobile Bay assisted in tracking the submarines.

In day and night "encounterexes," the Surface Action Group would split up into two forces and conduct mock engagements. In the Thailand phase, the night encounterex involved two surface action groups in a realistic scenario that included a submarine threat. The challenge for each team was to plan and conduct an all-sensor search resulting in coordinated attacks before the opponent could do so. During the Malaysia phase, the night encounterex pitted orange and blue forces against each other with the orange forces attempting an amphibious landing on claimed blue force territory.

During the Singapore underway period, the action started for the ASW task group when Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft conducted a surprise aerial attack. This unexpected air defense exercise supported by RSAF A-4 and F-5 aircraft culminated in a superb light show of air dropped flares.

Led by Lt. Col. Wade Yoffee of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Landing Force CARAT embarked in USS Fort McHenry consisted of a command element from III MEF, an assault amphibious vehicle platoon, a light armored vehicle platoon, and a combat engineer platoon from Marine Combat Assault Battalion and Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment (assigned to 4th Marines).

The Marines typically began each phase with a static display of the Marine Corps arsenal, including Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAVs), Light Armored Vehicles (LAVs), and numerous vehicle mounted and man-portable weapons. With the host nation also displaying their equipment, the static display allowed U.S. Marines and their hosts to evaluate each others' assets and begin planning and preparations for training. During the in-port period, the Marines would conduct live-fire exercises, hand-to-hand combat training, physical training and military tactics classes which included demonstrations of ambush techniques and offensive maneuvers. In Malaysia, the U.S. Marines were instructed in survival tactics by Malaysian soldiers. They taught the Marines how to test for poisonous plants, trap animals to eat, and find water in jungle plants.

The Marines also performed amphibious assault exercises in Malaysia and Thailand. "Our staff and particularly the Malaysian staff were completely integrated," explained U.S. Marine Maj. Stuart Bracken, Executive Officer, Landing Force CARAT. "We developed our [amphibious] operations order together, extensively war-gamed the scenario, and then executed side-by-side."

"The Thai Marines are very knowledgeable about amphibious operations and infantry tactics, and it showed when we executed a complex, live-fire attack in Ban Chan Khrem," said Capt. William Randall, Alpha Company Commanding Officer.

During the amphibious assault exercise in Thailand, Thai and U.S. AAVs conducted a combined attack on the beach at the Royal Thai Sattahip Naval Base while U.S. Marines acted as the opposing force on the shore. Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCACs) from the USS Fort McHenry brought Marines and equipment to the beach.

Although Malaysia does not have a Marine Corps, the Royal Malaysian Airborne Division teamed up with the U.S. Marines to practice and conduct an amphibious assault. The Malaysians practiced using U.S. AAVs, which are designed to carry a squad of Marines safely and quickly from ships to shore to move against enemy forces. For the first time in the Royal Malaysian Navy, amphibious vehicles were embarked in their Landing Ship Tank (LST), the RMN Sri Inderapura, previously a U.S. Navy amphibious ship. The Malaysians use the ship for logistics support.

CARAT in Malaysia

Lt. Cmdr. Tim Rudderow, USN, discusses amphibious operations plans with Malaysian naval officers.

For the second year in a row, U.S. divers joined aquanauts from Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore during CARAT. Morning physical training followed by classroom discussions and then extensive in-water training encouraged mutual esteem, trust, and skill.

This year, simulated training evolutions were joined with "real work" taskings that resulted in benefits to the community. While in Malaysia, USS Salvor moored within 50 yards (46 m) of the sunken freighter "MV Rico" which sank recently just outside the Kuantan Channel. U.S. and Malaysian Navy divers conducted internal and external dives on the underwater wreck and offered a salvage plan to local authorities.

In Thailand, the USS Salvor acted on a request to locate and recover the lost anchor of a participating U.S. submarine. The extremely proficient Thai scuba divers joined in the hunt for the missing anchor while learning about underwater side scan sonar search techniques.

Singapore's Naval Diving Unit combined with USS Salvor's divers to provide underwater ship husbandry services for three U.S. ships.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit Five, Detachment Three, from Guam worked extensively in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore to train their counterparts in U.S. Navy EOD operations. Although the U.S. Navy has a more developed EOD program than the various host nations, Singapore Navy Capt. Wai Choon Yip, pointed out how the U.S. Navy could learn from Singapore. "The U.S. Navy can learn how to do more with less" from Singaporeans whose small size and limited resources promote versatility. "Each person is trained to do multiple jobs; the Republic of Singapore Navy can change things more easily and be more flexible" than the Americans, he noted. Singapore is well-equipped and provided an excellent state-of-the-art damage control trainer for U.S. teams. Land mine clearance, underwater detonations, and amphibious landings also packed the EOD agenda in each country.