Teams from the U.S. Navy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 deployed from commander, Task Force 68 out of Rota, Spain, and Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, are participating in the annual multinational exercise Northern Coasts 2019, which began in Korsor, Denmark with an additional phase of events scheduled in Germany Sept. 9, 2019.
German and Danish-led Exercise Northern Coasts 2019, is a multilateral exercise that brings together maritime forces in the Baltic Sea and in the vicinity of the Baltic Sea to promote anti-submarine warfare (ASW), explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and mine countermeasures (MCM) interoperability between participating forces. The exercise is being held September 4 through 17, 2019.
“Our forward-deployed nature and participation in exercises like this highlight our ubiquitous presence with our allies to support global operations,” said Lt. Nicholas DeMasters, troop commander for U.S. expeditionary forces participating in Northern Coasts. “It’s important that we continue to train together in a multi-threat environment to ensure an effective and agile response capability.”
During the exercise, participants will share best practices to strengthen capabilities when conducting combined training and expeditionary operations while countering global or regional threats to security.
“This is the 13th year of the Northern Coasts annual exercise and it is an absolute privilege to work side by side with our European allies,” said DeMasters. “The annual shift in country leadership for the exercise shows agility and seamless interoperability, ultimately furthering our proficiency to support future complex crises.”
This year’s participating countries include: Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. NATO staff personnel will also participate.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests, and promote security and stability in Europe and Africa.