U S Navy and JMSDF Strengthen Ties through Mine Warfare Exercise 2JA > United States Navy > News-Stories navy.mil - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from navy.mil Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SASEBO, Japan – Capt. Scott Hattaway relieved Capt. Derek Brady as commodore of Commander Mine Countermeasures Squadron (COMCMRON) 7 during a change of command ceremony July, 22.
Mine Countermeasures Squadron (MCMRON) 7 is directly responsible for all mine countermeasures operations in the 7th Fleet area of operations and is a combined readiness and tactical staff reporting directly to Expeditionary Strike Group 7. The squadron consists of a headquarters unit, Avenger-class mine countermeasure ships, USS Patriot (MCM 7), USS Pioneer (MCM 9), USS Warrior (MCM 10), USS Chief (MCM 14) and Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron 14 Detachment 2 Alpha (HM-14).
During Capt. Brady’s tenure as commodore, MCMRON 7 saw unprecedented development and success. The four ships of MCMRON 7 completed 38 warfare certifications with a 100 percent pass rate. The squadron attained the highest operational availability in the past five years for both the Avenger class ships and the
U S Navy, JMSDF strengthen ties through Mine Warfare Exercise 2JA | Commander, U S Pacific Fleet navy.mil - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from navy.mil Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
“The exercise is an integration event in order qualify the company for any future deployments,” said Lt. Samuel Stearney, ExMCM Company 2-2 Commander. “The CERTEX used real-world operational scenarios to validate tactics, techniques and procedures so the company is ready operate in any operational environment.”
A standard ExMCM company is comprised of a 27-person unit with four elements: the command-and-control element (C2), an unmanned systems (UMS) platoon, an EOD MCM platoon, and a post-mission analysis (PMA) cell, all working in tandem, just as they would in a mine warfare environment.
The mission begins with and hinges on the UMS platoon providing mine detection, classification, and identification. The platoon, composed of Sailors from mixed pay grades and ratings, is led by a senior enlisted Sailor and employs the Mk 18 UUV family of systems.
US Navy, JMSDF in mine warfare drill off Japan February 9, 2021, by Bojan Lepic
The US Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) began a mine warfare exercise off the coast of southwestern Japan on 28 January 2021.
The exercise, named Mine Warfare Exercise (MIWEX) 1JA, is part of an annual series of exercises between the U.S. Navy and the JMSDF designed to increase proficiency in mine countermeasure operations between the two forces.
During the nine-day exercise, participants work together to clear a route for ships through a simulated minefield using unit-level mine warfare tactics to include mine hunting, detection, and neutralization.