US-Asian joint exercise to tackle maritime threats
Navies and coast guards from the United States and eight Asian countries, including Singapore, are taking part in a two-week exercise to strengthen cooperation and training in tackling maritime security challenges, such as piracy, smuggling and illegal fishing.
The annual South-east Asia Cooperation and Training (Seacat) exercise, led by the US Navy, will also involve information sharing with the Maritime Operation Centre in Phuket, Thailand, for the first time.
Rear-Admiral Joey Tynch, US Navy commander of the Singapore-based Logistics Group Western Pacific, told reporters yesterday: "I can't think of a better example of these countries working together for a common purpose, than what we see today at Seacat."
He was speaking to local and international media at the RSS Singapura - Changi Naval Base, where part of the exercise is being coordinated from.
Rear-Adm Tynch emphasised the importance of sharing and fusing information from different countries, saying it "leads straight to maritime domain awareness, and in my opinion, is the bedrock for rules-based order in the region".
17TH YEAR
The exercise this year, consisting of workshops and boarding operations at sea, involves the US, Singapore, Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
Now in its 17th year, it began on Monday and will end next Friday.
Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security at the US State Department Andrea L. Thompson said yesterday that the US continues to actively engage in the Indo-Pacific region.
Ms Thompson, who was in Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia earlier this month, said the trip was "not only to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, (but) really also to work together more effectively to tackle global security challenges".
The sea phase of the exercise will include 15 boarding operations by multiple nations across three vessels, to train in real-world at-sea environments.
This segment will be held in the South China Sea, and in the Strait of Malacca and Singapore. It will be coordinated from the Multinational Operations and Exercises Centre at RSS Singapura - Changi Naval Base.
Liaison officers from different countries will use a newly-enhanced information sharing portal at the Republic of Singapore Navy's Information Fusion Centre, located at the base, to compile real-time updates on the regional maritime picture and identify vessels suspected of conducting illegal activities.
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