US ships off to Palawan for PHL-US naval exercises

GMA news, Monday, June 13, 2011

Two United States Navy destroyers and a salvage ship are sailing to the Philippines this month for naval training exercises with Filipino counterparts off Palawan province, a Philippine Navy official said Monday.

The naval exercises come at a time of renewed tensions between the Philippines and China over the alleged intrusion of Chinese vessels into Philippine territorial waters near Palawan, but Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay said the situation is a mere coincidence.

“Hindi related," said Tonsay in an interview Monday. “Matagal na siyang ginaganap between [the] third and second quarters. So, talagang every year."

Dubbed as the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training or CARAT, the exercises will be held from June 28 to July 8 within the Sulu Sea, just east of Palawan.

The US ships involved are the USS Chung-Hoon and USS Howard — a class of destroyers — and the rescue and salvage ship USNS Safeguard. As he is not privy to the information, Tonsay could not immediately say how many US servicemen will join CARAT.

From the Philippines, the official said four Navy ships will take part in the exercises. He also did not have the information on which ships and how many Filipino servicemen will take part in the naval exercises.

US and Philippine naval forces have been pursuing CARAT for over 10 years now. The US has the same arrangement with Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Exchange of best practices

“The objective is interoperability, our ability to operate with the US and vice versa and exchange of doctrinal and tactical best practices. We adopt their best practices if we can, and vice versa," Tonsay said.

Tonsay announcement came on the heels of a similar report from Vietnam which has staged live fire exercises within its territorial waters in the South China Sea. Like the Philippines, Vietnam has recently accused China of violating its sovereignty.

Apart from military operations, Tonsay that CARAT shall encompass community relations, diving and salvage exercises, and other “at-sea" training exercises, as well as subject matter expert exchange.

“In at-sea or fleeting training exercises, all will be covered. All tactics involved at sea will be covered…" he added.

GMA news

Joint naval exercise not linked to West Philippine Sea row - Navy

By Abigail Kwok, Monday, June 13, 2011

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippines and the United States are set
to hold joint naval exercises on Sulu Sea, off the coast of Palawan,
later this month, but a Navy spokesman here said these were not at all related to the dispute over the West Philippine Sea.

Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Omar Tonsay said Monday the Cooperation Afloat
Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercises will be held from June 28 to
July 8 on Sulu Sea, specifically east of Puerto Princesa City. Joint US
and Philippine military forces will hold a series of activities such
as diving exercises, salvage exercises, sea training exercise and
community relations.

"The objective, as always, is interoperability, specifically on our
ability to operate with the US and vice versa and exchange of
doctrinal and tactical best practices. We will observe and adopt their
best practices and vice versa," Tonsay told reporters.

The official denied that the exercises were connected to the ongoing
tension over the Spratly Islands, where the Philippines recently filed
a diplomatic protest against China for its incursions on
Philippine-claimed territories.

"It's not related... and the exercises are being done annually, between
the second and third quarter of every year," Tonsay said.

Three US ships -- USS Chung Hoon, USS Howard, and USNS Safeguard --
are expected to participate in the exercises.

Tonsay stressed that the CARAT exercises have been held annually for over
10 years now, with the venue rotating in various parts of the country.

InterAksyon

Joint PH-US navy training off Palawan all set for end of June

By Philippine News Agency, Monday, June 13, 2011

Amid rising tensions off Palawan and in the South China Sea, the Philippine Navy said it is all set for an annual naval training exercise with the United States Navy, slated for June 28 to July 8, off Palawan shorelines.

The joint training exercise, dubbed Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training or CARAT, is mandated under the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty. This year’s exercise will be held east of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan and in Sulu Sea.

CARAT 2011 is a combined naval tactical operations exercise involving fleet forces of both the Philippine and U.S. navies.

PN spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Omar Tonsay said the exercise is not related to the dispute on Spratly islands. “We’ve been doing this (for more than a decade), so there’s no politics here,” he stressed.

Several activities, including non-military events, are lined up for the exercise. These include community relations projects and medical/dental/engineering civic action projects in host communities.

Tonsay told reporters CARAT’s goal is to strengthen the cooperation between the PHL and U.S. navies in thwarting intercontinental and trans-border crimes, piracy and maritime terrorism which are growing concerns of the global community.

He said CARAT has been done for more than 10 years already. Last year, it was held off Zambales province.
Tonsay said he does not have the figures yet on how many troops and number of ships will be deployed for CARAT 2011, but the U.S. Navy is sending USS Chung Hoon, USS Howard and USNS Safeguard.

interaksyon.com

Lalahok sa Phl War Games: Powerful Warships ng Amerika

Saksi sa Balita, Monday, June 13, 2011

PINAWI ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ang pangamba na posibleng magdulot lamang ng mas matinding tensyon sa South China Sea ang nakatakdang war games sa pagitan ng pilipinas at Amerika na gagawin ngayong buwan.

Bagama't wala pang tukoy na lugar kung saan gagawin ang nabanggit na military exercises, pero iginiit ni AFP spokesman Commodore Jose Miguel Rodriguez na hindi gagawa ng hakbang ang Pilipinas na magpapalala sa sitwasyon.

Una ng inihayag ng opisyal na matagal ng naka-kalendaryo ang joint naval exercises na gagawin sa Naval Forces West.

Ang nasabing area of operations ay nasa bahagi lamang ng Sulu Sea.

Binanggit din ni Rodriguez na ang gagawing training ay alinsunod sa umiiral na Mutual Defense Treay ng Pilipinas at Amerika at wala umanong kaugnayan sa pinakahuling tensyong namumuo sa pinag-aagawang teritoryo sa South China Sea.

Kabilang sa sinasabing lalahok sa Navy Drill ay ang guided-missile destroyer na USS Chung-Hoon.

Ang tinuturing na "powerful warships" ng U.S. Navy ay galing pa ng Pearl Harbor sa Hawaii.