SEACAT is a multilateral train designed to boost cooperation amongst Southeast Asian nations and supply mutual help and a standard objective to deal with crises, contingencies, and unlawful actions within the maritime area utilizing standardized techniques, methods, and procedures. SEACAT 2022 is a return to full-scale, in-person train following primarily digital engagements and non-contact sea section the earlier two years.
“SEACAT is about studying tips on how to share info successfully between likeminded companions,” mentioned Vice Adm. Karl Thomas, commander, U.S. seventh Fleet. “The COVID-19 pandemic launched many distinctive challenges that required creativity and suppleness in sustaining our operational readiness, in addition to our linkages with allies and companions. As we transition right into a post-pandemic actuality, I look ahead to extra
face-to-face conferences.”
SEACAT promotes shared commitments to maritime partnerships, safety, and stability in Southeast Asia. Twenty-one nations will take part, together with Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.
This iteration of SEACAT features a maritime area consciousness (MDA) seminar and go to, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) workshop Aug. 16-18. The seminar will characteristic displays, stay query and reply periods, panel discussions, and interactive, small group breakout periods with representatives from all collaborating nations. The VBSS workshop can be led by members of the U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Safety Response Workforce (USCG MSRT).
A further facet of the shore coaching is an unmanned aerial techniques (UAS) workshop that may cowl a broad vary of UAS and the techniques, procedures, and ways in which SEACAT contributors use these techniques to develop MDA.
Throughout week two of the train, together with the ocean section, a maritime operations heart within the Info Fusion Middle in Singapore will function a centralized hub for disaster coordination and data sharing within the monitoring of a contracted service provider vessel simulating a suspicious vessel of curiosity travelling all through Southeast Asian seas. Nations will work with all obtainable MDA instruments to offer cueing and call info to a different nation’s operations heart and maritime patrol reconnaissance plane or floor property with the said objective of implementing worldwide guidelines, legal guidelines, and norms.
The ocean section will embody boarding operations by a number of nations throughout the contracted vessel designed to offer coaching alternatives in real-world at-sea environments. USCG MSRT members will embark the vessel and facilitate contributors’ VBSS coaching.
“This iteration of SEACAT is designed as a situation that requires collaborating nations to make use of all MDA property obtainable to conduct multilateral intercepts utilizing customary procedures,” mentioned Capt. Tom Ogden, commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7. “Coaching collectively develops functionality and belief amongst collaborating nations to cooperate and supply mutual help in response to a disaster or criminality within the maritime area.”
Worldwide organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academia will play a task in SEACAT by offering higher understanding of the operational atmosphere by way of displays and situation injects designed to simulate actual world conditions that improve understanding and adherence to accepted guidelines, legal guidelines, and norms. Individuals embody members of EU Vital Maritime Route Wider Indian Ocean (CRIMARIO), Worldwide Legal Police Group (INTERPOL), Worldwide Institute for Strategic Research (IISS), Lee Kuan Yew Faculty of Public Coverage, Nationwide College Singapore (LKYSPP NUS), The Pew Charitable Trusts, Danger Intelligence, S. Rajaratnam Faculty of Worldwide Research (RSIS), Secure Seas, and United Nations Workplace of Medication and Crime (UNODC).
“The maritime area is the lifeblood of the worldwide financial system and should stay free and open to operate correctly,” mentioned Thomas. “Our respective governments have all independently determined that it is usually inside our nationwide pursuits to uphold the worldwide norms that govern the maritime area, and that are utilized with out prejudice for the good thing about each nation.”
U.S. Navy contributors embody workers of DESRON 7, a P-8A Poseidon plane assigned to Job Drive 72, and personnel from Job Drive 76, U.S. seventh Fleet, and U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Because the U.S. Navy’s destroyer squadron forward-deployed in Southeast Asia, DESRON 7 serves as the first tactical and operational commander of littoral fight ships rotationally deployed to Singapore, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 7’s Sea Fight Commander, and builds partnerships by way of coaching workout routines and military-to-military engagements.
Underneath Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, seventh Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with 35 maritime nations in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific area.
