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Bahrain, U.S. Conclude Bilateral Exercise Neon Response 2005

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS041019-10
Release Date: 10/19/2004 4:00:00 PM

By Journalist 2nd Class (SW/AW) Sarah Bibbs, Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 4 Det. 4 completed bilateral exercise Neon Response 2005 held Oct. 3-13 with the Bahrain Royal Naval Force (RBNF) and the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF).

"Neon Response is an annual training evolution between the U.S. Navy EOD and the Bahrain Defense Force that enhances foreign relations and operational techniques between the two nations," said Lt. Jeff DeMarco, EODMU 4 Det. 4 officer in charge. "It's a unique opportunity to see tools and techniques that are not in our own inventories."

During the first half of the two-week exercise, EODMU 4 Det. 4 and members of its dive locker trained 11 Bahrain Royal Navy divers in classroom and open-water dive applications.

"This was the first time that the Bahrain Royal Navy participated in Neon Response," said DeMarco. "Everyone was really excited, and it went well. The Bahrainis were eager to learn what we had to teach them, and our guys were excited to learn what their capabilities were."

The second week of Neon Response consisted of classroom instruction that culminated in a dual-phase training evolution between the detachment, EODMU 4 Readiness and Training Det., and the BDF.

The first phase began with prosecution and remote detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). "It was just a demonstration of some of our tools and how they give us results," said EODMU 4 Det. 4 Master Chief Hull Technician (EOD/FPJ) Mark Olsen.

The second phase consisted of hands-on, practical applications that Olsen said were an invaluable part of EOD training.

"To do this job, you have to train," he said. "It's like any perishable skill - if you don't use it, you lose it. It might come back to you after you mess up, but you really don't want to do that in EOD. You want to make your mistakes in training so you don't make them in combat."

The BDF and U.S. Navy EOD teams staged events for each other, giving one another the opportunity to overcome scenarios and IEDs unfamiliar to their own branches.

"Our guys learned a lot," said EODMU 4 Det. 4 Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate (EOD/FPJ) Jay Ulrich. "They saw a bunch of different devices and stuff that was unusual to us. The Bahrainis used mostly 'old-school' techniques. They brought us back 10 or 20 years with stuff like booby traps, and the young guys needed to see that. If you go up to Iraq, that's exactly what they're using, so we brought a lot of knowledge back."

Though Neon Response is now over, DeMarco said the relationships formed during the exercise are an additional benefit for the EOD Det. and the BDF, RBNF.

"If we're ever in need of something from them, we know what their capabilities are, and they know what ours are," DeMarco said. "We've had a face-to-face meeting and we've worked together. It's much easier when you know who you're talking to."