By Justin Goldman
A bilateral exercise highlights the growing cooperation between the US and Malaysian militaries.
Each year, for the last 20 years, U.S. Naval forces conduct an annual bilateral exercise series with their counterparts from several regional countries. Called Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), this year’s evolution with Malaysia clearly reflected the growing relationship between the two militaries.
According to U.S. Navy Captain Fred Kacher, Deputy Commander of Destroyer Squadron Seven, CARAT is their premier exercise series in Southeast Asia, a region on the rise and one where the Navy expects to play a larger role in the future. This year’s iteration occurs shortly after the visit of President Barack Obama to Malaysia, where he and Prime Minister Najib Razak decided to elevate the U.S.-Malaysia relationship to the status of Comprehensive Partnership.
“The level of military-to-military cooperation is certainly one of the highlights of the U.S.-Malaysia bilateral relationship and hopefully, this will only improve and intensify qualitatively under the Comprehensive Partnership,” said Elina Noor, Assistant Director for Foreign Policy and Security Studies at Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies.
Read the full story at The Diplomat