Two of the country's up-to-date warships, the BRP Gregorio
Del Pilar (PF-15) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) will participate in this year's
Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises.
CARAT is 21st iteration of bilateral maritime exercise between
the US and the Philippines
They will be joined by the USS Forth Worth (LCS-3) in sea
exercises which is slated to begin this June 18 to 30.
The latter is a "Freedom" class littoral combat
ship of the United States Navy. LCS is short for "littoral combat
ship."
CARAT 2015 will be formally opened on June 22, 1:30 p.m. at
the Naval Station Apolinario Jalandoni at Puerto
Princesa City ,
Palawan .
CARAT 2015 public affairs officer Lt. Liezl M. Vidallon said
American and Filipino ships would conduct gunnery exercises in the waters east
of Palawan, especially the Sulu Sea , by June
21 or 22.
She added that maneuvers have nothing to do with the ongoing
tensions between the Philippines
and China at the West Philippine Sea .
Aside from the gunnery exercises, Filipino and American
sailors will also conduct helicopter crash and salvage drills, deck-landing
qualifications, visit, board, search-and-seizure and weapon system training.
Vidallon added that Filipino naval personnel will also get a
chance to see first-hand a "rolling, airframe missile" (the American
RIM 116 small, lightweight, infrared homing surface-to-air missile.)
"They will be introducing the weapon to our sailors for
familiarization purposes," she said.
Vidallon said that 12-day exercise aims to enhance the
inter-operability between the USN and the PN.
"Furthermore, it will strengthen both navies’ combined
capabilities in amphibious operations, special operations, surface warfare, and
modern naval warfare; enhance information sharing; and will promote relationship
and goodwill," she added.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=773918
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