A.F.M. to participate in Search and Rescue Exercise with U.S. Coast Guard Cutter

Armed Forces of Malta will be participating in a Search and Rescue Exercise with the United States Coast Guard Cutter 'Gallatin' on Thursday, 1 August 1996, at sea around Malta.

Whilst this is not the first time the AFM is participating in an exercise of this type, this is the very first time with the US Coast Guard, who have a major Search and Rescue role in American waters. In fact a number of AFM Search and Rescue Mission Coordinators have been trained by the US Coast Guard, at the Search and Rescue School in Yorktown, Virginia.

The exercise will be a one-day exercise and will involve the USCGC 'Gallatin' and its shipboard Dauphin helicopter, an Italian Military Mission AB 212 helicopter, crewed by AFM/IMM personnel, an AFM Kondor patrol boat, the AFM Islander fixed-wing aircraft and an AFM Alouette III 316B helicopter. All these units will carry out a coordinated search under the command of the AFM Rescue Coordination Centre at Luqa.