Singapore Armed Forces, US Navy Participate in Annual Maritime Exercise

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the United States Navy (USN) are participating in the 17th Singapore-US Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise from 15 to 29 Aug 2011. Similar to previous CARAT exercises, this year’s exercise will focus on honing conventional maritime capabilities such as anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare (ASW), as well as maritime air operations.

Exercise CARAT 2011 marks the first time that the SAF is participating with Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) Sikorsky S-70B naval helicopters. This will enable more complex ASW scenarios during exercises with the USN. This year, the SAF is participating with four ships, a submarine and 16 aircraft. The USN is participating with three ships, two naval helicopters and two maritime patrol aircraft. A total of 1400 personnel from both countries are involved in this year’s exercise.

RSN Fleet Commander Rear-Admiral Lai Chung Han and USN Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Force 5th/7th Fleet Rear-Admiral Sean Buck officiated at the opening ceremony of the exercise at Changi Naval Base this morning. The SAF and the USN have conducted the CARAT series of bilateral maritime exercises annually since 1995. Exercise CARAT aims to enhance interoperability and professional cooperation between the participating forces of Singapore and the US.

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Source: mindef, August 15, 2011;