U.S. Coast Guard deployable specialized forces and Royal Canadian Navy explosive ordnance disposal technicians trained for maritime interdiction operations during the opening events of the force integration training phase of Rim of the Pacific Southern California.
This year marks the first time that the Coast Guard's Maritime Security Response Team West has participated in Rimpac. The Maritime Security Response Team is the Coast Guard's counterterror unit.
The Coast Guardsmen and Canadian sailors, from Fleet Diving Unit Pacific, partnered in the training event under the umbrella of Commander Task Force 177, Rimpac's mine warfare commander. Maritime Security Response Team West is headquartered here, and Fleet Diving Unit Pacific is headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia.
The focus of the daylong event was for the teams to observe and train alongside one another during maritime interdiction operations while boarding a training vessel identified as both high-value and high-threat that was assessed to be carrying improvised explosive devices. The added capability provided by the EOD technicians laid the groundwork for successful future operations where additional expertise is required.
Aligning Tactics
“We work closely with a variety of federal law enforcement and other government agencies on a regular basis,” said Coast Guard…
