Chinese sailors watch a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) pull into Djibouti. Xinhua Photo
The head of naval forces in the Middle East said Chinese actions in the region don’t pose a threat today but could lead to challenges down the road, with China laying the groundwork to gain economic and military leverage over countries in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Read More
A Mark-63 Quickstrike Mine is mounted on a P-3 Orion aircraft in the foreground while Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class Cooper Peterson, assigned to the ordnance division of Patrol Squadron (VP) 40, communicates with aircrew during preflight. US Navy photo.
This post has been updated to note the correct title for Sam Taylor, who is the senior leader for mine warfare within the Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants.
The U.S. Navy is taking offensive mining more seriously under the National Defense Strategy and is working to bring new technologies and tactics to the fleet to modernize mine warfare for a high-end fight. Read More
A Mk 18 Mod 2 is submerged from the stern of FSG Kronsort during experimental Mine Countermeasure (MCM) operations. Their experimentation objectives include collecting performance measurements in an operationally relevant environment for future improvements to systems. US Navy photo.
ABOARD USS MOUNT WHITNEY, IN THE BALTIC SEA – As the U.S. Navy undergoes a major transition in how it conducts mine warfare, it had the chance to test out its newest tools during BALTOPS 2019 alongside European partners who are mine warfare experts. Read More
The guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55) fires its forward MK-45 5-inch gun during a pre-action calibration fire evolution. USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) cruiser-destroyer (CRUDES) units are completing the first East Coast CRUDES Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercise. US Navy photo.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Last year, the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center accomplished a host of firsts in its advanced training activities for surface ships. This year, SMWDC intends to continue to solidify its role in the Navy through more tactical development and a focus on the mine warfare portion of its portfolio.
Petty Officer 2nd Class John Christner assigned to Commander, Task Group 56.1 (CTG 56.1), Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit One, embarked aboard RFA Lyme Bay (L 3007), examines an inert mine training shape on Oct. 15, 2016, during UK/US Mine Countermeasures Exercise 2017 (UK/US MCM-Ex 17). US Navy photo.
THE PENTAGON – The Navy is moving to further divorce mine warfare capabilities from specific platforms, going even beyond the modular setup of the Littoral Combat Ship. Read More
Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Chief (MCM-14) travels through waters near the Korean peninsula during the annual Multinational Mine Warfare Exercise (MN MIWEX) on Oct. 19, 2018.
THE PENTAGON – The Navy’s mine warfare community is putting together a comprehensive plan to lay out the investments required for a successful transition from legacy mine countermeasures systems to more advanced capabilities. Read More
A developmental, early variant of the Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle (CUSV) autonomously conducts maneuvers on the Potomac River Test Range on March 28, 2018. US Navy Photo
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Last week Naval Sea Systems Command won Pentagon approval to develop a mine countermeasure unmanned surface vehicle as part of the Navy’s ongoing effort to replace its aging MCM infrastructure. Read More
U.S. Air Force Airmen with the 96th Aircraft Maintenance Unit prepare a Quickstrike mine to be loaded onto a B-52 at Andersen Air Force Base, Sept. 16. Air Force photo.
A joint Navy and Air Force test successfully deployed a 2,000-pound shallow-water mine from altitude and at speed from outside a presumed enemy’s anti-aircraft range – a first for the U.S. military – during the recently completed Valiant Shield 2018 exercise.
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 2 and Expeditionary Mine Countermeasures Company (ExMCM Co.) 202, stand by in a rigid-hull inflatable boat as a Mark 18. Mod. 2 unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) is lowered into the water during a ExMCM training exercise on Aug. 4,2017. US Navy photo.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Navy is trending towards a mix-and-match set of people, platforms and sensors to detect and destroy mines, a departure from the simpler legacy mine countermeasures setup with a single helicopter type and a single wooden-hull ship class, set for replacement by the new Littoral Combat Ship and its neatly defined mission package. Read More
Sailors assigned to the Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Chief (MCM-14) raise a training mine from the water during Multinational Mine Warfare Exercise on Oct. 16, 2017, off the coast of Busan, South Korea. The exercise between the U.S., Republic of Korea and U.N. Command Sending States is designed to increase combined capabilities and readiness to respond to any contingency on the Korean peninsula. US Navy photo.
The Multinational Mine Warfare Exercise (MN MIWEX) kicked off Sunday off the coast of South Korea, following a conference with U.S. and South Korean military officials. Read More
