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Mine Warfare units flex muscles with Japanese counterparts

7th Fleet Release

Release Date: 3/3/2004

By Lt. j.g. David R. Wilcox, USS Guardian public affairs

SASEBO, Japan - Mine Countermeasures Division (MCMDIV) 11, USS Guardian (MCM 5), USS Patriot (MCM 7) and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) Five Det. 51 participated in Mine Warefare-Explosive Ordnance Disposal exercise (MINEX-EODEX) '04 off the coast of Shimonoseki, Japan, Feb. 14-25.

One of several annual Japanese fleet exercises, MINEX-EODEX is the only exercise where the forward-deployed U.S. mine countermeasure units routinely engage Japanese naval assets.

During the exercise, participating units from both nations practiced procedures required to conduct offensive and defensive mine warfare. Guardian and Patriot conducted round-the-clock mine hunting to clear a simulated minefield in the Inland Sea where Japanese airplanes and ships had laid training mines. Using specialized mine hunting sonar and unmanned underwater vehicles, the two ships located, classified, and simulated the destruction of four common types of mines.

Both ships also streamed minesweeping equipment that cut cables on moored mines and generated sound signals and magnetic fields that detonate bottom mines. EODMU Five Det. 51, working with the Japanese Mine Force Headquarters EOD Team, received possible mine contact information provided by Patriot, Guardian, and the Japanese vessel JDS Bungo (MST 464). The combined EOD team used the information to practice diving on, identifying, defusing and removing mines from the water.

In addition to exercising technical skills, MINEX-EODEX '04 was also designed to give both navies an opportunity to practice basic seamanship, navigation, and foster interoperability. Guardian and Patriot practiced rigging to receive fuel underway from Bungo, demonstrating the ability of Japanese units to provide logistical support to U.S. ships. Conversely, a guidance exercise involving Guardian leading Bungo through the simulated minefield showed the operational assistance the American ships can provide.

The most important aspect of the exercise, however, was the personal interaction it generated. The staff of MCMDIV 11 embarked Bungo, and an officer exchange placed one officer from each U.S. ship on a Japanese minesweeper and a Japanese officer on each of the U.S. ships.

Guardian communications officer, Lt. j.g. Jonathan Kehoe of Boulder, Colo., spent four days on JDS Notojima (MSC 682), while Lt. Takayuki Kita, a student at the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) First Service School and who will soon take command of the coastal minesweeper JDS Hikoshima (MSC 669), spent time on Guardian.

Kehoe said he noticed shipboard life - including the food - was much different than what Sailors in the U.S. Navy expect.

"The Japanese diet onboard is so healthy," said Kehoe. "Small portions of either fish or broiled pork, a bowl of rice, some kind of soup and never a dessert. You could eat off of their floor it was so clean, and their head cook taught me how to make several types of fish dishes."

Kehoe said he appreciated the ship's efficiency on station.

"When it was time to operate the ship everyone participated in a very organized way," Kehoe added. "Also, when it was evening, everyone who didn't have watch stopped working on admin until the next day. Unless it was directly related to finding mines, it wasn't important enough to keep them from getting some rest."

During his time aboard Guardian, Kita provided valuable insight into expeditious methods in deploying mine-warfare ships and discussed the Japanese technique of backing into the wind to retrieve mines from the water. He said the exercise was the ultimate way for allies to apply basic mine-warfare procedures and tactics, saying it was a "very good experience for both navies."

Kita voiced his desire for what he called a "greater information exchange." He cited specific mine detection procedures the Japanese EOD learned from EODMU Five Det. 51 during the exercise as an example.

While training and fostering interoperability during MINEX-EODEX '04 exposed the U.S. and Japanese units to each other's cultural and tactical differences, it also generated a shared appreciation for the busy, tiring experience of working in the middle of a minefield.