Philippine Navy is All Set for the Conduct of CARAT and PHIBLEX

By LIEUTENANT COLONEL EDGARD A AREVALO PN(M)

Director, Naval Public Affairs Office

Wednesday, 06 October 2010

Sailors and marines of the Philippine Navy stand to benefit militarily in a nine-day training while civilians from Central Luzon stand to gain in humanitarian assistance and development projects American sailors and marines will undertake in tandem with their Filipino counterparts.

More than 3,000 sailors, marines, and aviators to include logistics support units of the US Navy and the US Marines have arrived for the exercises namely: CARAT and PHIBLEX. Around 6 US Navy vessels and 3 aircrafts participate in this annual event that involve five Philippine Navy ships and around 1,000-strong PN contingent of sailors and marines.

CARAT or Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training between ships and sailors of the two countries kicks-off 13th of October at Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority in Zambales and winds up in a closing ceremony on the 22th of October also in the same venue. It shall be comprised of "in-port" and "at-sea" training activities. Included in the "in-port" events are: Subject Matter Expert Exchanges, community service activities like medical/dental/engineering civic action and other humanitarian activities. Meanwhile, "at sea" events are comprised of Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure Procedure, Maritime Interdiction Operations, Maritime Surveillance, and Naval Gunfire Support, among others.

PHIBLEX or Amphibious Landing Exercise will involve American and Filipino marines and amphibious vehicles. A boat raid exercise will be held in Marine Base Ternate in Cavite and a mechanized raid will be had in the coast of Naval Education and Training Command in Zambales. It will commence on the 14th of October in an opening rites at Clark, Pampanga and closes on the 22nd of October at the Philippine Marine Corps Headquarters at Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown at the Naval Station Jose Francisco in Taguig City.

The exercises hope to attain inter-operability between the two armed services of both countries. Particularly, it seeks to bolster the inter-operability of the participating country's armed services in territorial defense in pursuit of our national defense strategy.