The U.S. Navy participated in Exercise Noble Melinda, July 22 – Aug. 1, in the Mediterranean Sea near Haifa, Israel. The exercise was an annual training event that was not associated with, or a reaction to, any real-world events, the US Navy informed.
Noble Melinda is an annual maritime exercise designed to increase interoperability by developing individual and collective maritime proficiencies of the U.S. and Israel, as well as to promote friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation.
The annual bilateral exercise, now in its 11th year, focused on explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), diving and salvage operations, recompression chamber operations, and other underwater operations.
“The exercise has provided valuable training opportunities for both sides, and we are very excited to be here,” said Lt. j.g. Steve Link. “We have been able to work together successfully through a variety of scenarios, and I hope we can continue such collaboration in the future.”
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 8 (EODMU-8), from Rota, Spain, is the U.S. 6th Fleet unit that participated in the exercise.
U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts a full range of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation missions in concert with coalition, joint, interagency, and other parties in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.
[mappress] Press Release, August 5, 2013; Image: Navy