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U.S. Navy, Seychelles Divers Plunge Into Annual Exercise

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS050717-04
Release Date: 7/17/2005 2:13:00 PM

From Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet/Commander, Combined Forces Maritime Component Commander Public Affairs

SEYCHELLES (NNS) -- Divers from two U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units teamed up with their counterparts in the Seychelles Coast Guard for a 10-day exercise known as Island Response 2005, which took place July 5-15 in Seychelles.

"Island Response signifies an exercise where we make our divers ready for any maritime security operation (MSO) which we are required to attend to," said 2nd Lt. Ronny Matatiken, a member of the Seychelles Coast Guard dive team who helped plan the exercise.

"As we all are aware, there are terrorists on the loose. Island Response is an exercise that will deny attack from the sea front," Matatiken said.

Exercise participants included Coast Guard divers in Seychelles; members of EOD Mobile Unit 8, forward deployed to Djibouti as part of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, also known as CJTF-HOA; and divers from EOD Mobile Unit 4, headquartered in Bahrain.

During the annual bilateral exercise, divers from both nations discussed ways to improve their diving techniques and practices, and enhance diving interoperability and readiness in case they are called upon to support real-world MSO. Specific topics included operational dive planning procedures; diving illness symptom recognition and treatment; vessel search from the waterline and below; and search and recovery operations.

The Americans and Seychellois agreed that each side benefitted from the military-to-military exchange. Lt. Tom Bowen, officer-in-charge of the U.S. contingent, believed his team learned from the Seychelles divers.

"They are very good divers. Most have more experience than we do, especially in different types of diving, like open water diving," he said.

According to Bowen, EOD divers aren't the only ones to get something out of the training. Island Response can prove advantageous for U.S. Navy ships and their crews, as well.

For the first time in the exercise's seven-year history, Island Response has included seminars and practical drills related to force protection diving.

Before a U.S. Navy ship pulls into any foreign port, EOD divers sweep the host nation's harbor to ensure a safe berth for the visiting crew. The exercise representative for Seychelles believes the annual training has a relevant application that may impact future ship visits to the island nation.

"When U.S. naval vessels come here for a visit, they always send a team in to clear the harbor prior to the visit," said Matatiken. "If we properly train our guys [on force protection diving], they don't have to send a team and can rely on us to do the job. It will be less costly and time consuming for the U.S."

To that end, the divers discussed and practiced hull diving, pier searches, underwater searches, and random force protection and anti-terrorism measures.

Some believe the local knowledge and experience in the maritime environment and port, coupled with the Island Response training, can be an invaluable combination for visiting Navy ships.

"It would be easier for us [to do the force protection dives] because we dive here every day," said Cpl. Steve Nourice of Seychelles. "We know everything down there. It would be better for us to do the dive jobs than foreign people, but this is a new topic for us Coast Guard divers."

The multimission, 160-man-strong Seychelles Coast Guard aids mariners in distress, protects the maritime environment, conducts search and rescue operations, and does salvage operations. In addition, it helps enforce local fishing regulations, which is a main source of income for the local economy.

"By us coming down here and training with the Seychelles Coast Guard, hopefully, in the long run, they can take over the mission of diving the piers and doing the hull sweeps for the U.S. Navy ships visiting," said Bowen. "But Island Response also helps with their maritime security and security for their fishing industry."

This exercise is U.S. Naval Forces Central Command's only engagement with Seychelles. This year marks the first time assets from CJTF-HOA in Djibouti have participated in Island Response. Seychelles became part of the CJTF-HOA's area of responsibility in March.

MSO set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment in the Indian Ocean and around Seychelles. MSO complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations, as well as deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.