MULLIKULAM, Sri Lanka (Jan. 23, 2023) – U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Austin Merrill, a heavy equipment operator with Combat Logistics Battalion 13, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, directs a 624K tractor rubberized wheel articulated steering multipurpose during a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief exercise, Jan. 23 in Mullikulam. CARAT/MAREX Sri Lanka is a bilateral exercise between Sri Lanka and the United States designed to promote regional security cooperation, practice humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and strengthen maritime understanding, partnerships, and interoperability. In its 28th year, the CARAT series is comprised of multinational exercises, designed to enhance U.S. and partner forces’ abilities to operate together in response to traditional and non-traditional maritime security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brendan Custer)