The 27th CARAT Brunei exercise was completed by Brunei and US forces

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

The 27th Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Brunei maritime exercise was completed by the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and the US military.

The five-day exercise, which began on November 15, consisted of virtual activities centred on common maritime security challenges.
On November 19th, it came to a victorious conclusion.

The exercise includes personnel from the US 7th Fleet, Commander Task Force (CTF) 72, CTF 73, CTF 76, Special Operations Command Pacific (SOCPAC), US Coast Guard (USCG) Pacific Area, DESRON 7, and the US Embassy Brunei.

 

According to Lieutenant General Mohammad Iss of Command Destroyer Squadron 7 Public Affairs, the drill is primarily focused on the whole range of naval capabilities.

The two countries worked together to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific maritime security during the exercise.

Several cooperative training opportunities were included in the drill's virtual subject matter expert exchanges (SMEE) sessions.

 

Riverine security training, a Women, Peace & Security (WPS) symposium, maritime domain awareness (MDA), replenishment-at-sea (RAS) best practises, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), and anti-terrorism force protection, to name a few, were all part of the programme.

"The Royal Brunei Armed Forces and the US Armed Forces displayed our readiness and resilience again in 2021," stated Task Force 73 Logistics Group Western Pacific commander rear admiral Philip Sobeck.

 

"From November 15 to November 19, we committed bilaterally to several dynamic events on land and in cyberspace for five days."

The CARAT series, now in its 27th year, comprised exercises aimed at improving the US and participant navy's ability to work together in the Indo-Pacific area in response to "conventional and non-traditional maritime security concerns."

"The Royal Brunei Armed Forces were one of the US Navy's first CARAT partners when the exercise began in 1995, which was 26 years ago," Sobeck continued.