Courtesy Photo | U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Curt Bartz, an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VA.—Navy and Marine Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians worked together for eight days here, March 2021, exchanging subject matter expertise and sharing knowledge that could one day save lives.
The joint operation included U.S. Navy Expeditionary Exploitation Unit 1, from Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Maryland, and Marines from 1st Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company, 1st Marine Logistics Group from Camp Pendleton, California, including four Marines from the Marine Corps’ experimental EOD Littoral Explosive Ordnance Neutralization (LEON) Platoon.
The Marines helped to enhance the Navy EOD technicians capabilities to safely dissemble ordnance—a skill the sailors use frequently to support geographical commands. The sailors shared their expertise in Navy’s Very Shallow Water (VSW) mine countermeasure capability.
“This sets a precedent for a continued interoperability between Navy-Marine Corps EOD,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jordan Torcello, an EOD officer with 1st MLG. “There are a lot of entities here, who did not have to work together, but we all see the bigger picture and want to develop and grow as a team.”
Ordnance disassembly may play a large part in future maritime joint operation. According to Cmdr. Ed Britt, commanding officer of Expeditionary Exploitation Unit 1, this exercise demonstrates Navy-Marines combat development. The Navy identified a tactical need to mitigate maritime threats and the Marine Corps shared their expertise in dealing with that threat to better prepare the sailors.
This exercise also served as a unique opportunity for the EOD technicians to train in unfamiliar territory. The Navy EOD technicians displayed mines that they utilize and taught the platoon how to disassemble and analyze the mines they come across.
“We found out there were excess ordnance items that would be very helpful for this event, so we transferred some of those ordnances here,” said Britt.
The LEON Platoon is a new Marine Corps initiative that intends to complement and overlap with the Navy’s current Expeditionary Mine Countermine capability. This now allows Marines to neutralize and exploit underwater explosive hazards as an organic Marine Corps capability. These skills will help shift the Marine Corps more into a maritime environment.
“Understanding the threats we face as we go forward and the function of how these devices work, will allow me to dive safely or approach them safely,” explained Sgt. Caleb J. Daigle, an EOD technician with the platoon. “The Marine Corps being an amphibious entity of the Navy, we need to go island to island, shore to shore and transit littorals safely.”
Sgt. Daigle emphasized that this is where the new Marine Corps capability plays a critical role. “This is where LEON comes in and allows safe transit for our troops from shore to shore in the south Pacific first and second island chains,” he said.
This exercise showcased the blue-green team as well as civilian assets to understand and exploit a multitude of sea and land-based mines. Until recently, the Navy owned the underwater sea-mine tactics. That is changing now that they are sharing their knowledge and experience with the Marines of LEON platoon.
“We have a lot to learn from them, and that blue-green piece is important to ensure both of our successes,” said Daigle
| Date Taken: | 03.12.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2021 13:10 |
| Story ID: | 393903 |
| Location: | QUANTICO, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 971 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Explosive Ordnance Technician Operational Interoperability, by Sgt Andre Peterson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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