JAKARTA, Indonesia – Patrol Squadron (VP) 40 began its 7th Fleet deployment by participating in CARAT Indonesia 2011. The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training, or CARAT, series are bilateral, annual exercises designed to increase understanding between the U.S. Navy and its Southeast Asia partners, should they be called upon in the future to work together in real-world operations.
The tri-fold CARAT mission includes enhancing regional cooperation, building friendships between the U.S. and other nations involved, and strengthening professional skills at every level.
Eleven aircrew and eight maintenance professionals arrived in Jakarta on May 25, aboard a Fighting Marlin aircraft. They were greeted at Halim International Airport by three Indonesian liaison officers and members of Commander, Task Group 73.1.
On day two, Combat Aircrew Four (CAC-4) attended a joint aviation symposium, learning about Indonesian maritime patrol capabilities followed by a delicious lunch of regional cuisine.
Later that afternoon, CAC-4 briefed Indonesian aviators on P-3C capabilities regarding humanitarian assistance and disaster recovery, anti-submarine warfare, and maritime domain awareness. The second day concluded with a gift and plaque exchange.
Day three provided an opportunity to impress seven Indonesian officers with some of the P-3C Orion’s capabilities during a familiarization flight.CAC-4 demonstrated ways to build maritime situational awareness utilizing the Automated Identification System; an unclassified, commercially available system that receives information from nearly all commercial ships at sea. It displays vessel name, flag state, registry, position, course, speed, and even its dimensions.
The Indonesians were also particularly impressed with the full motion video capability of the advanced imaging multi-spectral camera used after a natural disaster.
“It was an awesome way to show off the capabilities of our aircraft,” said Naval Aircrewman Second Class Anthony Balver. “The Indonesians had a great time. They are really friendly and it was a joy working with them.”
The next day, CAC-4 took to the air again with seven Indonesian officers to provide range clearance for the CARAT surface force gunnery exercise, or GUNNEX.
Participants included USS Howard, USS Reuben James, and two Indonesian corvettes. Working closely with Howard’s tactical action officer, CAC-4 guided the CARAT surface force to an area where the ships could safely fire their crew served weapons on a target affectionately known as the “killer tomato”.
The Indonesian officers were impressed by the ability to record events with clarity and detail.
“This aircraft is like Star Wars,” commented an Indonesian officer. “My favorite thing is making new American friends.”
VP-40’s participation in CARAT Indonesia would not have been possible without the efforts of the maintenance professionals led by Chief Aviation Machinist’s Mate Alicia Winters.
Sailors worked hard in intense heat and sparse conditions to ensure the aircraft remained ready to fly each day.
“We didn’t have much to work with, but good planning allowed us to bring what we needed,” said Timothy Stone, Aviation Structural Mechanic Third Class. “I was proud we kept the aircraft up for those two flights – we always get the mission done, no matter how hard.”
The final day afforded the opportunity for liberty, with visits to Indonesia’s version of Sea World, shopping for unique souvenirs, and simply enjoying the sun.
The break allowed the Fighting Marlin team to successfully conclude its most important mission of the trip – being good ambassadors of the United States.
“Liberty is one of the most important missions we conduct in the 7th Fleet area of responsibility. We could execute a flawless mission, but a liberty incident could embarrass our chain of command and our nation at the highest levels,” said detachment officer in charge, Lt. Cmdr. Brandon McCauley. “I’m proud of how we performed during CARAT Indonesia 2011, from our airborne and maintenance missions, and more importantly, our liberty mission.”
