Source: United States Navy
VARNA, Bulgaria – Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 and Mobile Diving and Salvage Company (MDS) 2-3 operated alongside NATO allies and partners at Exercise Sea 24-3, Sept. 9-20, 2024. This collaborative exercise aims to address the current maritime mine threat, collective demining capabilities, and effective means of enhancing Black Sea regional maritime security.
In its 23rd iteration, Sea Breeze is an annual, multinational maritime exercise, originally co-hosted by Ukraine and U.S. 6th Fleet to enhance interoperability and capabilities among participating forces.
For Sea Breeze 24.3, U.S. 6th Fleet led the pre-planning and coordinated logistics, and EODMU 8, a subordinate command of Commander Task Force (CTF) 68 headquartered in Rota, Spain, led the planning and execution, sharing extensive expeditionary mine countermeasure (exMCM) knowledge and capabilities with NATO allies and partners. Countries participating, observing, or mentoring during Sea Breeze 24-3 included Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Japan, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Türkiye, Ukraine, and U.S.
U.S. Navy expeditionary forces such as EODMU 8 have had a consistent presence in the Black Sea and have a longstanding history of training alongside partner nations on tactics, techniques, and procedures for mine threat operations in order to enhance our shared lethality and support freedom of navigation.
“EOD Mobile Unit 8 operates consistently with outstanding professionalism, and every member of the Thunderstealer team plays a critical role in ensuring mission success,” said Cmdr. John Kennedy, commander, EOD Mobile Unit 8. “Exercises like Sea Breeze allow us to share our knowledge, techniques, and best practices with our NATO Allies and partners for enhanced agility and interoperability in future mine countermeasure operations and demining the Black Sea.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Allied and partner nations have counter charged over 100 floating mines. As this threat increases, EOD forces have a responsibility to prepare for a large-scale post-conflict demining effort.
“Our goal for this year’s Sea Breeze is to improve freedom of navigation in the Black Sea region for the security and stability of the Black Sea nations,” said Vice Adm. Thomas Ishee, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet. “We’ll do this through continued training and by enhancing interoperability to counter the floating mine threat in the Black Sea.”
The mines in the Black Sea region pose a significant danger to civilian ships, disrupt exports, and threaten freedom of navigation.
“Due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, there is currently a mine concern in international waters, and our job is to mitigate that,” said Kennedy. “We’ve shown our standards to our partners and allies, we’ve practiced our techniques shoulder-to-shoulder, and that builds confidence when we are called to mitigate explosive threats in the Black Sea. Our support to Ukraine has never been stronger.”
In response to the current mine threat, NATO members Bulgaria, Romania, and Türkiye joined forces to tackle this issue through the Mine Countermeasures Task Group Black Sea (MCM Black Sea).
Collaboration between NATO members in support of MCM Task Group Black Sea underscores the importance of collective security efforts to restore safety and stability in the region.
Multinational exercises like Sea Breeze are a tangible representation of the agility and cooperation made possible through partnership in the dynamic security environment of the Black Sea.
“The greatest value we’ve gained from Sea Breeze is an understanding how each unit of action operates, and then learning to operate together in order to be the most lethal combined force in a future conflict,” said Lt. Jon Miller, EOD company commander, EODMU 8. “We’re able to enhance the tactics, techniques, and procedures of all participating units at the exercise, and then flex those capabilities in the event of real-world operations.”
Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2, a subordinate command of EODGRU 2, is also participating in Sea Breeze 24-3, with a focus on diving and salvage training. MDS Company 2-3, currently deployed to U.S. 6th Fleet, trained alongside partners and Allies from Ukraine and Romania on surface supplied diving, underwater cutting and welding, and other skills to enhance harbor clearance and battle damage repair capabilities.
“Operating and exchanging knowledge on battle damage repair in this area of operations is our unit’s first opportunity to train the techniques and capabilities in a region with real world implications,” said Chief Navy Diver Michael Christensen, company master diver, MDSU 2. “We are in the Black Sea, doing this with the Ukrainian salvage divers, and their military is currently engaged in conflict. After Sea Breeze, they can return to the fight and utilize these skills for harbor clearance.”
Navy EOD is the only community with mine warfare as a core competency, and our capabilities directly support deterrence of aggression, promote freedom of navigation and stability, and contribute directly to the fight for sea control. Our unique ability to conduct explosive ordnance disposal operations and clear hazards underwater make Navy EOD crucial in a future fight for sea control – protecting our own and our partners’ bases, harbors and sea lanes, sea transport capabilities, mobility and combat strength.
CTF 68 provides explosive ordnance disposal operations, naval construction, expeditionary security, and theater security efforts in the 6th Fleet area of responsibility.
EODGRU 2 operates as part of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command and provides skilled, capable, and combat-ready deployable Navy EOD and Navy Diver forces around the globe to support a range of operations.
Details of Sea Breeze 2024 activities and imagery are available at http://www.c6f.navy.mil and https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/seabreeze24.
For the full collection of photos of EODGRU2 operating at Sea Breeze 2024, and news about U.S. Navy EOD, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/EODG-2.