U.S. Navy Joins Cambodian Navy in 2012 CARAT Exercise

October 26th, 2012 
by US Navy SEALs

The U.S. Navy and Royal Cambodian Navy kicked off the 3rd annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Cambodia exercise on Oct. 22.
An opening ceremony was held at the Royal Cambodian Ream Navy Base which included an remarks from U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Tom Carney, commander, Task Force 73, and Royal Cambodian Navy Vice Adm. Ouk Seyna.

The 2012 CARAT Cambodia exercise will constitute four days of events in port and 36 hours at sea. While in port, members of both navies will have an opportunity to share best practices and build friendships through a series of activities, including sporting events, subject matter expert exchanges, symposia and community service projects.

During the at-sea phase, U.S. and Royal Cambodian Navy ships will get underway to practice a range of competencies, including formation maneuvers, gunnery and maritime security exercises.

“Two years have passed since 2010 when the inaugural CARAT Cambodia marked the first dedicated naval exercise between the United States and Cambodia in decades,” Carney said. “Since then, the U.S. Navy and Royal Cambodian Navy have built upon previous CARATs to make this year’s exercise more productive.”

CARAT is a series of annual, bilateral maritime exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Timor Leste.
For this year, approximately 500 U.S. Sailors, Marines and 300 Royal Cambodian sailors are participating in CARAT Cambodia exercise.