LUMUT, Malaysia -- The Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) arrived in Lumut August 13 following numerous exercises and engagements with the Indonesian navy and coast guard.
While in Lumut, Stratton is scheduled to participate with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Malaysian Navy and Marine Corps in Maritime Training Activity Malaysia (MTA) 2019, a joint training exercise.
MTA Malaysia marks 25 years of maritime engagements between the U.S. and Malaysia. This year’s exercise will feature hundreds of sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen from both nations who will come together for five days of at-sea and on-shore training designed to enhance interoperability.
Stratton arrived in Surabaya, Indonesia, July 31 as part of its planned participation in Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Indonesia 2019, during which the cutter conducted exercises alongside the U.S. and Indonesian navies. The Coast Guard last participated in CARAT in 2012.
Stratton’s crew participated in professional exchanges, classroom training, planning sessions and educational seminars while in Surabaya. The crew conducted gunnery exercises, search and rescue operations, mock boardings, replenishment at sea exercises, flight operations, communications drills and multi-unit maneuvering while at sea.
Following their six-day participation in CARAT, Stratton arrived in Batam, Indonesia, Aug. 6 where they conducted the Coast Guard’s first joint exercise with Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency and coast guard - BAKAMLA.
The exercise focused on capacity building, information sharing and coast guard to coast guard communication. Stratton’s crew engaged in a subject matter experts’ exchange and a table-top exercise with BAKAMLA members Aug. 10. The following day, the crew conducted boarding training and an at-sea exercise with the offshore patrol vessel KN Tanjung Datu.
“Among the most valuable outcomes of these events was the face-to-face interactions my crew had with our Indonesian and U.S. Navy counterparts,” said Capt. Bob Little, Stratton’s commanding officer. “Personal relationships established ashore translated to improved cooperation and coordination at sea.”
In celebration of the inaugural training exercise and to commemorate 70 years of diplomatic relations with Indonesia, the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Consulate Medan, together with the U.S. Coast Guard, hosted a reception aboard Stratton for BAKAMLA personnel, government officials and dignitaries.
Stratton, a 418-foot national security cutter, departed its homeport of Alameda, California, June 12 for a months-long deployment to the Western Pacific. Operating under the tactical control of U.S. 7th Fleet, the cutter and crew are engaging in professional exchanges and capacity-building exercises with partner nations and will patrol and conduct operations as directed.