Rear Adm. Joey Tynch, Commander Task Force 73, along with members from the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAF), flew a Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopter during maritime exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2018 at Rimba Air Base, Brunei, Nov. 14.

The flight marks the first time a U.S. Navy admiral has piloted an RBAF Black Hawk helicopter, a testament of the close partnership between the U.S. and Royal Brunei Armed Forces and mutual commitment to the CARAT exercise series. With the U.S.-Brunei relationship entering its fourth decade, the U.S. and Royal Brunei Navies have participated in the CARAT exercises for 24 years. In CARAT 2015, the RBAF S-70i successfully made deck landings aboard the U.S. Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82).

"As an H-60 pilot myself, it was an incredible experience flying over Brunei while sharing the cockpit with a fellow pilot from the Royal Brunei Air Force. Our ability to sit shoulder-to-shoulder and trust each other, while flying an airframe used by both our countries, absolutely demonstrates the partnership and interoperability that makes CARAT such a tremendous event," said Tynch. "I look forward to visiting Brunei again in the near future and to work with the professional men and women in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces."

The one-hour flight consisted of a navigation route to the RBAF training area and landings plus a fly-over of the U.S. Navy's expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Fall River (T-EPF-4) which is also participating in CARAT. Earlier in the day, Tynch and the US Charge d'Affaires to Brunei Scott Woodard flew in the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft with the crew of Patrol Squadron Sixteen.

The flight consisted of a simulated tracking of a vessel-of-interest in a demonstration of the aircraft's information sharing capability during maritime interdiction operations. Following the flight, Tynch met with Col. Abdul Rahman, Acting Commander of Royal Brunei Air Force, to discuss ways to continue increasing the sophistication of future CARAT iterations and to thank the RBAF for the unique flying experience.

"It is amazing how close the U.S. and Royal Brunei Armed Forces work together across a broad spectrum of military operations," Tynch said. "So far in just a few days, we have held a wide-range of exchanges in submarine operations, cyber law, maritime domain awareness, diving and salvage, public affairs and medical training. As we speak, both navies are sailing side-by-side at sea and conducting a myriad of cooperative evolutions that enforce the strong relationship that already exists between our Sailors. I couldn't' be happier with this year's event and we all look forward to next year's 25th anniversary of the CARAT series."

The next day, Tynch visited the S-70i full-flight simulator at the CAE Brunei Multi-Purpose Training Center. During the visit, Tynch met Prince Abdul Mateen of Brunei, a captain in the RBAF.

The U.S. and Royal Brunei Navies continue to participate in a growing number of bilateral and multilateral maritime exercises including this year's 17th annual Southeast Asia Cooperation Training (SEACAT) and 26th biennial Rim of Pacific (RIMPAC). In August, the U.S. and Brunei Armed Forces held their first-ever army exercise in an effort to expand military engagements between both partner nations.

"We value our strong partnership with the Royal Brunei Armed Forces as we share an unwavering commitment to engage with each other more frequently and in more complex and sophisticated scenarios that address our shared interests and goals of ensuring freedom of navigation and respect for international law," Tynch said.

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