Hundreds of Filipino and American sailors, along with seven combined ships from the two militaries, are participating in next week’s annual RP-US Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Carat) 2012 on the Mindanao Sea.
Philippine Navy (PN) spokesman Col. Omar Tonsay said 400 PN personnel and three ships are complementing the 350 US Navy servicemen during the Carat exercises which starts on July 2 in General Santos City. The Carat 2010 will run up to July 10.
The US Navy will be using two ships during the exercises.
Also participating in this year’s Carat are 50 Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) men on a PCG ship and 150 US Coast Guard men on one of their vessels.
Tonsay said this was the first time that both PN and PCG personnel will be jointly training with their US counterparts.
According to him, the at-sea activities under Carat 2012 are slated on the Mindanao Sea. The exercise includes in-port training, subject matter expertise exchanges, riverine operations training, diving and salvage exercise, ceremonies and interactions and civil military operations (CMO).
Part of the CMOs — medical and dental missions — and other community services are scheduled in the municipality of Glan in Sarangani and some parts of General Santos City.
The exercise will involve the PN, the United States Navy, the PCG and the US Coast Guard surface, air, and special operations units in the conduct of shore-based Cross Training Exercises, Dive Exercise, Salvage Exercise, and At-sea Fleet Training Exercises.
Tonsay stressed that Carat 2012 aims to enhance combined inter-operability and capability between the Philippine Navy and US Navy as well as to test its personnel and naval assets’ operational readiness and ultimately, improve the defense capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The joint training specifically aims to enhance current PN and USN capabilities in naval operations; to increase the level of interoperability between the PN and the USN in the conduct of combined naval operations focused in night time operations; to test and develop the joint and combined communications interoperability in the PN and with USN forces; and to promote situational awareness and information sharing between PN and USN forces.