On April 13, 2018, participants from the United States, the United Kingdom, and France concluded a two-week training exercise in the Arabian Gulf centred on eliminating mines.
The mine countermeasures ship USS Devastator (MCM 6) and the landing ship dock RFA Cardigan Bay (L3009) participated in the training exercise known as Artemis Trident. There was also participation from explosive ordnance disposal personnel and dive teams from the United States Navy, the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, and the French Navy.
During the first week of the exercise, sailors from all participating navies met aboard Cardigan Bay to participate in a professional interaction with one another. The participants discussed and exchanged the most effective methods, procedures, and strategies for locating, identifying, and clearing naval mines.
“This exercise truly enhanced our interoperability and operational effectiveness in mine countermeasures and EOD operations,” said Captain Oscar Rojas, commander of Task Force 52, which commands the mine warfare capabilities of the United States Navy’s 5th Fleet. “Collaboration on the high seas is necessary to ensure safety in the area.”
During the previous edition of Artemis Trident, which took place in April 2021 in the Arabian Gulf, the Navy of the United States, Australia, France, and the United Kingdom participated in mine search and clearing training.
The operational area of the United States Fifth Fleet encompasses twenty-one different countries, the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Red Sea, parts of Indian Ocean, as well as three vital choke points located at the Suez Canal, Bab al-Mandeb, and the Strait of Hormuz.
