By Yusrin Junaidi

Bandar Seri Begawan - CARAT Brunei is an important exercise for the US Navy and the Sultanate's military, as it is an ideal venue for them to address the spectrum of crisis.

This was stated by RDML Nora Tyson, CTF-73, during the opening of the CARAT 2008 Initial Planning conference at Sheraton Hotel in the capital yesterday.

"We have learnt a lot over the past several years with the (2004 Boxing Day) tsunami and (Hurricane) Katrina in the US. So I think we need to collectively take a hard look at lessons learnt... so when another crisis happens... we'll be ready to deal with it," she said, adding that it is important to keep the military exercise current and relevant.

Meanwhile, Colonel Jofri bin Hj Abdullah, the Director of Brunei CARAT Exercise, said the military exercise would be under the remit of the Ministry of Defence, while the joint force headquarters would be responsible for all aspects of administration, planning and coordination.

"A lot of emphasis has been put on the importance of this bilateral exercise," he said, adding that it is important to nurture the professional skills of both armed forces and integrating elements from other law enforcement agencies in Brunei.

"(Over the next two days), I encourage both delegations to work hard to produce and finalise a workable exercise plan with the aim of further raising the level of understanding of both forces (as they may one day work together in real-world operations)," the director of Brunei CARAT Exercise said.

The Commander of Destroyer Squadron One, M W Selby, said the CARAT exercises have changed "a little" over the years to make the training relevant for armed forces of both sides.

"I think that all militaries around the Southeast Asian region are working on improving their capabilities (particularly on humanitarian response)," he said. Thus, the CARAT exercise is a good opportunity for militaries to work together, especially when it comes to assisting any nation in times of crisis, he added.

Among those who attended yesterday's briefing were senior officers of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, as well as personnel from the Ministry of Defence and US Navy. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin