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Cooperative Telos

Military officials from nine NATO and "Partnership For Peace" (PFP) countries participated as U.S. Navy mine countermeasures forces -- based primarily in South Texas -- trained in a pair of simultaneous exercises off the coast of Corpus Christi Sept. 20-30. The U.S.-sponsored Gulf of Mexico Exercise (GOMEX) 99-2 and NATO-sponsored exercise Cooperative Telos '99 put to practice integrated mine countermeasures operations, using surface ships, helicopters and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) detachments. While the ships, aircraft and divers conducted their live exercise at sea, approximately 30 representatives from the NATO and PFP countries participated in a mine countermeasures seminar, a cultural program, and visits to exercise ships to witness U.S. mine countermeasures forces in action. Cooperative Telos, designed to foster mine countermeasures interoperability among participating nations, was conducted by Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Command and Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Rear Adm. Jose Betancourt, commander of the U.S. Navy's Mine Warfare Command, based in Corpus Christi, directed the exercise. Countries participating include Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden, Canada, Denmark, and Poland. GOMEX 99-2 is one of a series of regularly scheduled exercises aimed at putting to the test the mine countermeasures training and capability of participating forces. U.S. participants in the exercises include the mine countermeasures ships USS Pioneer (MCM 9) and USS Warrior (MCM 10), along with the coastal minehunters USS Oriole (MHC 55) and USS Cardinal (MHC 60), all homeported at Naval Station Ingleside. The air element was comprised of four MH-53E "Sea Dragon" helicopters from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron Fifteen (HM-15), based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi. Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Three, detachments seven and 15 from San Diego, along with a Canadian EOD team, provided underwater support. Approximately 850 U.S. Navy personnel were involved in the exercises.