http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-883863.php
May 31, 2005 U.S.-Singapore antiterrorism exercises begin By En-Lai Yeoh Associated Press Sailors stand watch on the destroyer Paul Hamilton prior to the start of joint naval exercises on Tuesday in Singapore. - Ed Wray / AP Photo SINGAPORE - As the "Star Wars" theme song played, the Navy launched two weeks of anti-terrorism exercises with Singapore on Tuesday, days before Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrives here to discuss security with his Asia-Pacific counterparts. Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, commander of the Logistics Group Western Pacific, kicked off the exercise at a Singapore naval base auditorium to the film's orchestral theme. A written history of Singapore-U.S. naval war games rolled across a big screen like the film's famous opening. More than 1,500 U.S. and Singapore service members, aircraft, a submarine and 12 ships are taking part in the two-week Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training, or CARAT, in the South China Sea. Washington fears that al-Qaida linked militants could launch a terror strike in the nearby Malacca Strait, which borders Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, and is plied by 50,000 commercial ships a year. More than half the world's oil and a third of its commerce pass through the 550-mile strait. A bombing could paralyze its sea traffic for months. Much of the CARAT exercise will involve training to prevent maritime terror strikes - such as the seizure of vessels and attacks by small boats, a tactic used by al-Qaida in the past. In 2000, a suicide bomber in a small boat rammed the destroyer Cole in Yemen, killing 16 sailors and one officer. The Navy then set up measures to increasing ships' security in port. "It's an emphasis that's well deserved," said CARAT's task group commander, Capt. Lothrop "Buzz" Little. The crew of the guided missile destroyer Paul Hamilton is also expected to simulate a chemical gas attack. On Saturday, Rumsfeld is scheduled to be in Singapore to address a meeting of defense ministers and military chiefs from 20 countries. Singapore, a firm backer of the Iraq war, has regularly hosted U.S. troops and warships. It has a naval facility specially built to accommodate U.S. aircraft carriers. >From Singapore, the U.S. ships will travel to Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines to continue separate CARAT exercises scheduled to end in August. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Give underprivileged students the materials they need to learn. Bring education to life by funding a specific classroom project. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FHLuJD/_WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
