- Aboard US Navy warships, small group of sailors are tasked with defending the ship from threats posed by small ships or low-flying aircraft.
- Members of the Small Craft Action Team have to know how to spot and identify threats as well as handle all the ship's mounted weapons.
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GULF OF ADEN (NNS) - Aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21), a small group is trained to defend the ship in an emergency situation.
This group of sailors, the Small Craft Action Team (SCAT), provides a surge capability for reacting to an emergency security situation within the defensive perimeter of the ship, and has earned high-level praise for its integration with the Marines of the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit
"SCAT is a team consisting of crew-served weapons machine gun operators that provide 360 degree coverage of the ship, an anti-terrorism tactical watch officer and a gunnery liaison officer," said Lt. j.g. Frank Smeeks, New York's anti-terrorism officer (ATO). "They are called away as a pre-planned response to threats the ship may face like a small boat attack or low, slow flyer."