OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) deployable specialized forces (DSF) and Canadian explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians trained for maritime interdiction operations during the opening events of the force integration training (FIT) phase of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Southern California (SOCAL).
This year marks the first time that the USCG Maritime Security Response Team–West (MSRT-W) has participated in RIMPAC.
Both MSRT-W DSFs and EOD technicians partnered in the training event under the umbrella of Commander Task Force (CTF) 177, RIMPAC’s mine warfare commander. Assigned participants in the training came from the MSRT-W and the Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit Pacific. MSRT-W is headquartered in San Diego, California, and Fleet Diving Unit Pacific is headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
The focus of the daylong event was for the teams to observe and train alongside one another during maritime interdiction operations while boarding a training vessel identified as both high-value and high-threat that was assessed to be carrying improvised explosive devices. The added capability provided by the EOD technicians laid the groundwork for successful future operations where additional EOD expertise is required.
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