Philippine Navy and Coast Guard personnel joined U.S. Navy sailors and Coast Guardsmen for the tenth year of Exercise CARAT 2004 in the Philippines. Here, members of the Philippine Naval Special Warfare Group 91 crouch low and move together on the deck of the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) during a maritime boarding exercise. Photo by Lt. j.g. Todd Spitler, USNR

"CARAT 2004 has indeed strengthened the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, especially the Philippine Navy, in the Government’s determined campaign against terrorism and in safeguarding the country’s maritime borders and resources."

The Honorable Delia Domingo-Albert
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
Republic of the Philippines

Rear Adm. Quirico Evangelista, Commander of the Philippine Naval Education and Training Command, addresses the opening ceremony for CARAT Philippines 2004, as Philippine Navy Capt. Ludovico Franco, Acting Commander Ready Force of the Philippine Fleet, and U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, the U.S. Navy’s executive agent for CARAT, look on. Photo by PH2 Laura Heinkel, USNR

Philippine Navy and Coast Guard personnel joined U.S. Navy sailors and Coast Guardsmen for the tenth year of Exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2004 in the Philippines. CARAT is an annual series of bilateral military exercises between the United States and various Southeast Asian nations.  The purpose is to improve military readiness and interoperability with each CARAT partner in mission areas of mutual benefit. CARAT Philippines 2004 was the fifth and final phase of the 2004 exercise series and included at-sea maneuvers involving air defense, search and rescue, a drone exercise and associated gun shoots, and a tactical free-play evolution. Symposia on legal issues, such as law of the sea and rules of engagement, also took place. During the exercise, Philippine and U.S. Navy Seabee engineers, and combined Philippine-U.S. medical, dental, and veterinary teams, conducted a series of civic action projects to help the people of the Philippines.

Nearly 1,200 Philippine Navy and Coast Guard personnel participated in CARAT Philippines 2004. Philippine Navy ships included BRP Artemio Ricarte (PS 37), BRP General Mariano Alvarez (PS 38), BRP Lanao del Norte (LC 504), BRP Hilario Ruiz (PG 378), and BRP Alberto Navarette (PG 394).

About 1,400 U.S. military personnel participated in the U.S. CARAT Task Group under the leadership of Capt. Lothrop S. “Buzz” Little, Commander of Destroyer Squadron One and the U.S. Navy CARAT Task Group. U.S. Navy ships included the dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), the U.S. Coast Guard high endurance cutter Mellon (WHEC 717), rescue and salvage ship USS Salvor (ARS 52), and the guided missile destroyers USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS McCampbell (DDG 85).  The Task Group also included a P-3C Orion aircraft and an SH-60
Seahawk helicopter.

During opening ceremonies, Rear Adm. Quirico Evangelista, Commander of the Philippine Naval Education and Training Command, told the U.S. participants, “You are our mentors. We are working toward modernization of our armed forces and look forward to working with the best Navy in the world during CARAT.”

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Lt. Chuck Bell, USN, is assigned to Task Force 712 Public Affairs; JOC Melinda Larson, USNR, was assigned to CARAT Task Group Public Affairs; and JO2 Stephen Haynes, USN, is assigned to USS Fort McHenry Public Affairs.