Neon Response 18 Concludes

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ernesto Bonilla | March 02, 2018

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Neon Response 18

U.S. Army, Spc. William Price, center, and Spc. Caleb Dial, right, demonstrate how to search for additional injuries on a service member from the Royal Bahrain Naval Force during a tactical combat casualty care exercise held by Commander, Task Group 56.4 on Naval Support Activity Bahrain in support of Neon Response 18. Neon Response 18 is a bilateral maritime security and explosive ordnance disposal exercise between the U.S. Navy and Royal Bahrain Naval Forces to enhance interoperability. (Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Ernesto Bonilla)


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Neon Response 18

A Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) service member controls a Bahraini ordnance disposal robot during a suspicious package simulation held as part of an improvised explosive operations exercise at a BDF military operations in urban terrain site during Neon Response 18 . Neon Response 18 is a bilateral maritime security and explosive ordnance disposal exercise between the U.S. Navy and BDF to enhance interoperability. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Louis Rojas)


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Neon Response 18

Explosive ordnance disposal technicians assigned to Task Force 50, observe a Bahraini ordnance disposal robot perform a disrupting technique during a suspicious package simulation held as part of an improvised explosive operations exercise at a Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) military operations in urban terrain site during Neon Response 18 . Neon Response 18 is a bilateral maritime security and explosive ordnance disposal exercise between the U.S. Navy and BDF to enhance interoperability. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Louis Rojas)


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Neon Response 18

Electronics Technician 1st Class Christopher Overstreet, left, and Hull Technician 2nd Class Douglas Niewiarowic, both assigned to Coastal Riverine Squadron (CRS) 4, look for targets using the camera aboard a Mark VI Patrol Boat during a suspicious package and small boat attack drill as part of Neon Response 18. Neon Response 18 is a bilateral maritime security and explosive ordnance disposal exercise between the U.S. Navy and Bahrain Defence Force designed to enhance interoperability. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class David Kolmel)


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MANAMA, Bahrain --

Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) and U.S. Navy explosive ordnance disposal technicians wrapped up two weeks of advanced training during explosive ordnance disposal exercise Neon Response 18, Feb. 28. 

The bilateral exchange began Feb. 18, with U.S Coast Guard and U.S. Navy forces personnel from Task Force (TF) 56, TF 55 and TF 50, Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) personnel from a BDF Royal field engineer unit and personnel from Royal Bahrain Naval Force special service forces. The maritime exercise allowed the two nations to work together to enhance collective security by improving partner capabilities, capacities and interoperability in harbor defense, explosive ordnance disposal, and visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) tactics.

“Neon Response 18 achieved what we set it up to do,” said Lt. j.g. Max Morse, officer-in-charge of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 1 (EODMU 1). “We met our training objectives and in doing so, as regional partners, we have increased our interoperability, built upon our solid relationships, and improved readiness, capability and capacity with our partner nation.”

 

The exercise concluded Feb. 28, with a field training exercise focused on harbor defense aboard a U.S. Coast Guard cutter. The realistic scenario required participating forces to practice VBSS, close quarters tactics, and the disposal of a mock improvised explosive device.

 

Working together to increase the collective defense of maritime ports, the Bahraini and U.S. forces sent a message to deter potential adversaries, showing their ability to work bilaterally in tackling real world issues.

“Some of the Bahraini techniques are similar to the way we would do them and some were different,” said U.S. Coast Guardsman Maritime Enforcement Specialist 2nd Class Michael Bashe, assigned to Task Force 55. “Isn’t that the point of these exercises, to come together see how they do things and they see how we do things, and then bring the best back to our jobs at the end of the day?”

 

EODMU 1 provides operational explosive ordnance disposal capability for location and identification, rendering safe, recovery, field evaluation, and disposal of all explosive ordnance including chemical and nuclear weapons across the globe.
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