USS Fitzgerald visits PH Thursday for naval exercises

USS Fitzgerald (C) INQUIRER file photo

MANILA, Philippines – The United States (US) Navy destroyer USS Fitzgerald is set to visit the Philippines Thursday for a series of naval exercises with the Philippine Navy.

“The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) will arrive in Subic Bay on Thursday, June 27, to participate in the Philippines- US Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement Wednesday.

This year’s CARAT is the 19th since it began in 1995. It was previously held in Cebu, Puerto Princesa and General Santos City.

“The CARAT is a series of bilateral naval exercises between the US Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste,” DFA said.

“CARAT Philippines 2013 will focus on maritime security operations, maritime domain awareness and information sharing,” it added.

Aside from naval exercises, CARAT will also have “extensive training in diving and salvage operations, jungle warfare and marksmanship, tactical combat casualty care, civil affairs, riverine and boarding team scenarios, sporting events, community service projects and public band concerts.”

The US is gearing up to realign a greater part of its military assets towards Asia. Philippines also holds the annual “Balikatan” military exercises with the US.