US warships to conduct joint drill with Indonesia

JAKARTA - Three US warships were stationed off waters of Situbondo town of East Java on Monday to take part in joint exercises with the Indonesian navy, local media reported.

The warships, the USS Germantown, the USS Van de Grift and the USCGS Waeshe, left from Surabaya's Tanjung Perak harbor Sunday morning, the Jakarta globe said.

The three US ships sailed in a convoy with three Indonesian navy ships, the KRI Sultan iskandar Muda-367, KRI Silsas Ppare-384, KRI Banda Aceh-593.

"We will conduct the exercise on (Monday)," said Ensign Jason Tross, spokesman of the USS Hermantown.

The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Train (CARAT) joint maneuvers between the US Navy and Coast Guard and the Indonesian Navy has been held annually for the past 18 years. The exercise, which began May 29 and will last to June 7, is designed to enhance maritime security skills and operational cohesiveness among participating forces.

CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the US Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Timor Leste joins the exercise for the first time in 2012.