The train, known as Neptune’s Kilt, concerned greater than 500 Sailors and Airmen from 4 floor ships, two MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters, and 4 A-10 Thunderbolt II plane. The coaching aimed to strengthen interoperability amongst U.S. and UK forces in mine looking operations.
The ships included HMS Middleton (M34), HMS Bangor (M109) and RFA Cardigan Bay (L3009) from the UK, in addition to guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton (DDG 60) from america. The seventy fifth Air Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from the U.S. Air Pressure and Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 15 from the U.S. Navy participated with fixed-wing and rotary-wing plane, respectively.
“This train has enabled us to extend our proficiency in mine countermeasures and improve the combination of our techniques from the air and sea,” mentioned UK Royal Navy Capt. Derek McKnight, deputy commander for U.S. fifth Fleet’s mine countermeasures process drive, Activity Pressure 52. “As a mixed U.S.-UK process drive it’s an honor and a pleasure to work carefully collectively.”
The mine countermeasures mission focuses on clearing mines from important waterways to make sure the free circulation of commerce. Throughout the train, maritime property practiced procedures for detecting, classifying and clearing mines as Air Pressure A-10s and the Navy destroyer carried out unit protection coaching.
“We successfully carried out tactical communications, mine-clearing workouts and formation crusing,” mentioned Cmdr. Jake Ferrari, Paul Hamilton’s commanding officer. “We stay dedicated to retaining maritime sea lanes open and making certain maritime safety all through the area.”
In April, the U.S. and UK naval forces accomplished an identical coaching train with French companions within the Arabian Gulf known as Artemis Trident. Dive groups and explosive ordnance disposal technicians from the three nations embarked mine countermeasures ship USS Devastator (MCM 6) in addition to Cardigan Bay to share greatest practices and techniques.
The U.S. fifth Fleet space of operations encompasses roughly 2.5 million sq. miles of water space and consists of the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Pink Sea, elements of the Indian Ocean and three important choke factors on the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.
