Singapore,US conduct annual maritime exercise

Singapore and the United States are conducting an annual maritime exercise code-named Singapore-U. S. Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) the city- state's Ministry of Defense said on Monday. The first exercise was conducted in 1995. The opening ceremony of this year's CARAT, the 19th one, as officiated at Changi Naval Base Monday morning by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) Fleet Commander Rear-Admiral (RADM) Timothy Lo and the United States Navy (USN) Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific RADM Thomas F. Carney. The ministry said in a statement that this year's exercise, which runs from July 15 to 26, "will focus on sharpening conventional maritime warfare capabilities such as anti-air, anti- surface and anti-submarine capabilities, as well as maritime air operations." The city-state's navy, air force and the U.S. navy and its marine corps are participating in this year's exercise, involving totally 1,400 personnel from both sides. Five ships, a submarine, a naval helicopter and seven aircraft, including the newly commissioned RSN Archer-class submarine RSS Archer from the Singaporean side participate in the exercise. The U.S. side joins with three ships, including the newly deployed USN Littoral Combat Ship USS Freedom, a submarine, a naval helicopter and an aircraft. The ministry said "this series of annual bilateral maritime exercises aims to enhance interoperability and professional cooperation between the participating forces of Singapore and the United States."