25 August 2005 -  Undersecretary Zosimo Jesus Paredes II, Executive Director of the Visiting Forces Agreement, reported to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo that the week-long RP-US bilateral naval exercises dubbed Cooperation Afloat Readiness Training or CARAT 05 came to a close in the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan wherein “long time allies - the Philippines and United States pulled together 2000 strong combined naval contingent in a brilliant display of tactical fire and movement while underway from Subic Bay to the Sulu Seas.”

The CARAT Exercises is a much anticipated largest naval exercise done annually between the Philippines and the United States under the ambit of the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement with interoperability between the two forces as the main objective.  Among the events during the exercises, the CARAT activity was highlighted with gunnery exercises, formation steaming, air defense exercises, search and rescue, night steam package exercises.  The exercises ran from 15-23 August.

Undersecretary Paredes lauded the successful conduct of the exercises as he gave his remarks on the Closing Ceremony of the Exercises at Western Command.   “The greatest victories fought in the name of liberty and freedom were achieved not by the force of one nation alone, but by the fortitude of alliances”, Undersecretary Paredes stressed.
The CARAT Exercises depict the steadfast commitment of the Philippines and the United States to uphold the peace, and regional stability in the Pacific.  This event embodies the alliance of the Philippines and the United States in protecting the basic right for human dignity, and the people’s entitlement to self-determination; and, sends a firm message that the Philippine and U.S navies are ready to stand together side by side to face the challenges and perils of the new global order of the 21st Century.

The United States vessels USS Paul Hamilton, USS Rodney M Davis, and USS Safe Guard left Philippine territory yesterday afternoon bound for Okinawa. END