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Exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2004 marked the 16th consecutive year the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) and U.S. Navy have exercised together. Here, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Band welcomes the guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85) on its arrival for the Brunei phase of CARAT 2004.
Photo by Lt. Chuck Bell, USN |
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"Apart from providing professional interactions and exchanges of ideas, [CARAT 2004] also encourages social interactions and strengthens friendships between personnel of both navies, and effectively, the armed forces of both nations.
Col. Joharie bin Hj Matussin
Commander Royal Brunei Navy
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An RBN Sikorsky S-70 Battle Hawk helicopter takes off from the flight deck of the dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) during deck landing qualifications.
Photo by JOC Melinda Larson, USNR |
The Brunei phase of the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series began with an opening ceremony at the headquarters of the Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), Col. Joharie bin Hj Matussin. “Apart from providing professional interactions and exchanges of ideas, this exercise also encourages social interactions and strengthens friendships between personnel of both navies, and effectively, the armed forces of both nations,” said Col. Joharie. “From practicing simple seamanship and communications evolutions, the serials planned have progressed to complex multi-dimensional warfare scenarios.”
The RBN Fleet Commander, Lt. Col Abdul Aziz bin Haji Mohd Tamit, attended the opening ceremony. The U.S. attendees were Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, Commander of Task Force 712 based in Singapore and the U.S. Navy’s executive agent for CARAT; and Capt. Lothrop S. “Buzz” Little, Commander of Destroyer Squadron One and of the U.S. Navy CARAT Task Group.
During CARAT Brunei, more than 1,400 personnel from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces — primarily the RBN — participated in exercise events ranging from at-sea gun shoots to in-port damage control and diving symposiums. Exercise CARAT 2004 marked the 16th consecutive year the RBN and U.S. Navy have exercised together, dating back to the KINGFISHER exercise series.
This is a composite story compiled from separate articles by Lt. j.g. Todd Spitler, USNR, and JOC Melinda Larson, USNR, assigned to CARAT Task Group Public Affairs; JO2 Robert N. Sealover, USN, assigned to USS Fort McHenry Public Affairs, and EM1 Elysian McIntyre, USN, assigned to USS Salvor Public Affairs.
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