ROTA, Spain (Nov. 19, 2025) – Members of Mine Countermeasures Group (MCMGRU) 6 and Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Mine Countermeasures Detachment (MCM Det) Rota participated in Exercise Aegean Seal 2025-I aboard South Evoikos Gulf Naval Base, Greece, Oct. 13-23, 2025.
Allied explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) participated in the exercise to train and work together.
“Aegean Seal was an excellent opportunity for us to train and practice UUV operations for MCM,” said Lt. Alexander Holtz, MCM Det Rota Officer-in-Charge. “Continuous exercises like these prove the capability of interoperability with our NATO Allies and partners.”
The exercise provided the opportunity to enhance their teams’ ability to tackle littoral security challenges.
Cmdr. Katsaros Charalampos, assigned to Hellenic Navy Special Warfare Command and Aegean Seal 2025-I exercise director, summed up the value of the event.
“Although the Aegean Sea serves as the primary training ground, the skills and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) developed here are directly transferable to all NATO operations where similar mine warfare and littoral security challenges exist,” he said. “Aegean Seal focuses on warfighting areas related to mine countermeasures, underwater EOD and special operations TTPs, strengthening NATO’s collective ability to operate safely and effectively in any maritime theater—especially those characterized by shallow, congested, and contested waters.”
MCMGRU 6 provides U.S. 6th Fleet with command and control capabilities for all MCM operations in the U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility, focusing on mine warfare readiness, strategic competition, and NATO Alliance cooperation.
Aegean Seal is an explosive ordnance disposal and mine countermeasures exercise hosted by the Hellenic Fleet to fulfill training requirements and to improve operational integration of NATO participants.